Baby Suffocates To Death After Wriggling Down Bed In Her Sleep While Parents Partied Downstairs

An  eight-month-old baby, Halima Saida Ali reportedly died after wriggling down a bed in her sleep as her parents partied with their family downstairs. She was found suffocated after becoming trapped in a gap between the footboard and the mattress by her mother.

Despite the efforts of her family and paramedics, the tragic tot died in hospital two weeks later.

Now a coroner has ruled that the baby’s death was accidental after hearing police could find no evidence of neglect.

The family celebration was being held at the home of the Halima’s mother Shaheen Ali and father Ashad Ali, who is an administrator in Derby on August 25 last year.

They called for an ambulance after discovering their daughter unconscious and unresponsive at the foot of the bed.

Paramedics arrived and took her to the Royal Derby Hospital, before she was transferred to the intensive care ward at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where she died on September 7.

Detective Inspector Tony Brittan was called to the Crewe Street home the day Halima was taken to hospital.

Giving evidence, he said he was content that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

He said the baby had appeared to have wriggled in her sleep before becoming stuck.

He said: “Halima was found by her family with her head stuck under the footboard and her feet hanging down towards the floor. There were no signs of trauma in the bedroom where she was found. The family had completed CPR on the directions of the ambulance service. There was no sign of any criminal negligence. It was a tragic accident.”

Louise Pinder, the assistant coroner for Derby, asked if there had been any chance of survival for the baby, despite the best efforts of the family and hospital staff to keep her alive.

DI Brittan replied: “There was a very weak pulse towards the end of her resuscitation. “It was clear from the start she was not going to survive that particular incident.”

Taking DI Brittan’s evidence into account, as well as the results of the post mortem examination, which showed Halima died of a positional asphyxiation – meaning she had suffocated due to the position she had wriggled into – Miss Pinder came to her conclusion.

She told the hearing: “Halima, a much loved and well cared-for eight-month-old baby girl, was found unresponsive, having only been left alone for a short period of time. It is likely she became trapped between the footboard and the mattress at the bottom of the bed. It was quickly established she had no chance of survival. She died suddenly on September 7 last year and she died as a result of accidental death.”

Halima’s dad and her uncle, Amsid Ali, attended the inquest. Neither wished to comment after the hearing.

Source: Mirror