Baby Jasmine never stood a chance…
The parents of an 11-month-old girl who suffocated under bedding could face homicide charges after a coroner referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart found baby Jasmine Rose Pearce – who had been the subject of many child protection notifications – died either before, during or after her drug-affected parents had sex on top of the bed in which she was sleeping.
Related: Three-month old baby dies after being left to sleep in a bouncer.
Parents Helen Howell, 39, and Leslie Gordon Pearce, 49, “had smoked cannabis for an extended period before going to bed” and found Jasmine dead on January 27, 2013.
The Tasmanian Coroner found the sleeping environment – a dipped mattress on a fold-out bed, cushions and an adult doona – was dangerous for an infant and at some stage the parents had sex on top of part of the child’s body.
In her findings, Ms McTaggart said while the parents did not deliberately cause Jasmine’s death, they did not adequately ensure her safety.
“They became aware that they had likely rolled onto Jasmine while engaged in sexual activity,” she found.
“Even then, neither of them took steps to check Jasmine and subsequently went to sleep.”
“Their actions were uncaring and irresponsible in the extreme. They were fully aware of a potentially dangerous situation created solely by their own actions and blatantly ignored her safety.”
The coroner said she could not determine whether Jasmine’s death occurred before, during or after the sexual activity.
“Common sense would suggest that the suffocation was more likely to have occurred whilst she was trapped under the bedding, by or in proximity to adult bodies,” she said.
The coroner was critical of the evidence of Jasmine’s parents, which she described as “contrived, inconsistent and fanciful” at times.
Ms McTaggart was also critical of Child Protection Services for not adequately investigating the risk to Jasmine.
She referred her findings to the DPP to determine whether the couple’s failure to check on Jasmine amounted to criminal negligence and whether homicide charges should be laid.
For more on child protection issues, try these articles:
Coroner warns: Sleeping with your baby is a death-trap.
Chloe Valentine inquest: SA child protection system broken, massive overhaul needed, coroner says.
Mamamia Investigates: The land of limbo. Aussie foster kids face five year wait for adoption.
Top Comments
OMG These are the kind of people that shouldn't have children,, poor little one didn't ask to be born to these LOW LIFE SO CALLED PARENTS , LOCK THEM BOTH UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!
It boggles my mind that someone could carry a child in their body for 9 months, give birth to her, and then have so little regard for her life that they have sex on top of her, forgetting that she was in the bed and then not checking her when they remember. So self-absorbed and no empathy. It's like some people don't think that their child is a real, actual person.