Death of baby girl who drowned in bath after toy blocked plughole, ruled as accidental

A 10-month-old baby girl drowned in just five inches of water, after a plastic toy became stuck over the plughole of the bath.

An inquest at Leicester Town Hall heard how Sara Moosa was put in the bath along with her twin brothers.

Her mother had the tap running without the plug in while she bathed them.

One of the boys asked for his shark toy and his mother went to fetch it. But when she returned, a toy had covered the plug hole and the bath had started to fill with water.

Sara was lying on her side in the bath with her face under the water.

She was pronounced dead at Leicester Royal Infirmary on August 14 last year.

A post mortem examination was carried out and concluded she had died from drowning.

In a statement from the family to the inquest, Sara was described as a "smiling and happy" little girl.

Summarising what happened, coroner Isobel Thistlethwaite said: "Sara and her two siblings were in the bath with the water running but no plug in.

"One sibling requested a toy. The mother returned and she noticed another toy had blocked the plug hole. The two siblings were standing up and Sara was on her side, under the water."

The family called 999 and tried to perform CPR to get Sara's heart beating again, as instructed by the ambulance operator.

A statement was read out from a paramedic who arrived to find Sara downstairs on the kitchen counter where her family were performing CPR.

The paramedics took over trying to resuscitate Sara.

She was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but nothing could be done to save her.

Miss Thistlethwaite recorded a conclusion of accidental death. She said: "No concerns were raised by the police following an inspection of the scene."