Mother found guilty of manslaughter after baby drowned in bath

A woman who left her two children in the bath unsupervised has been jailed for manslaughter after one of them drowned.

The jury in the trial of Sarah Elizabeth Morris, 35, of High Street in Bagillt, found her unanimously guilty of the charge following the death of 13-month-old Rosie in July 2015.

The jury heard how the twins were left unattended in a bath at Morris' then home in Greenfield in Flintshire while Morris was on the phone for 47 minutes.

When she checked on them, one of the children, Rosie, had toppled over into the water and was not breathing.

Emergency services attended and took Rosie to hospital but despite efforts to revive her she died later that evening.

Morris denied “gross negligence” manslaughter, and an alternative charge of child cruelty but was convicted on 13 March following a two week trial at Mold Crown Court.

She was sentenced to three years in prison.

In a statement Rosie’s grandmother, Tracey Read, said the family's lives had changed forever.

Nicola Rees, of the CPS, said: “Sarah Morris left her two very young children in an extremely vulnerable position for a prolonged period.

“They were left alone without child seats or any other form of support in the water.

“The CPS presented evidence showing that Sarah Morris had been made aware, on a number of occasions, of the dangers involved in bathing young children, but nevertheless, on this particular day, she chose to put her own needs above those of her children, resulting in Rosie’s tragic death from drowning.

“The family and friends of Rosie have been through a heart-breaking time and our sympathies are with them.”