Wiltshire family calls for tougher laws after one-year-old left home alone dies

  • Watch Louisa Britton's report

A Wiltshire man whose one-year-old son died after his mother left him home alone is calling for a change in the law to prevent future tragedies.

In June 2018 Stacey Davis, from Melksham, left Ethan home alone while she went out.

When she returned and checked on him he was found lifeless in his cot. He was rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath but died despite the best efforts of emergency services.

Despite a lengthy investigation, the police never established the cause of Ethan's death.

Davis pleaded guilty to child cruelty and was sentenced to two years in prison in December 2022.

Ethan's father, Luke Turvey, now wants it to be illegal for anyone to leave a child under the age of five alone - currently it is only guidance.

Lexi, Luke and Lorraine Turvey are campaigning for a change in the law Credit: ITV News

Luke told ITV News West Country: "It might save a few more children if it was in place. And that's probably the main reason, I don't want it happening to anyone else."

He says had the law been in place, Ethan could still be alive today. He added: "If she had known that there was a law for doing it, she might have thought twice about leaving him."

Alongside his mother and sister, Lorraine and Lexi, Luke has set up a petition calling for the law to be changed.

So far it has accumulated more than a thousand signatures but needs at least 10,000 for the government to respond.

Stacey Davis pleaded guilty to child cruelty Credit: Wiltshire Police

Lorraine Turvey, Ethan's grandmother, said: "I think the law should be changed. A lot of people don't know that it isn't the law and would assume that it would be because it's such a serious offence.

"I think it puts them in danger so I feel we need to get it out to the public for them to be aware of that and for the consequences to reflect that."

Lexi Turvey said: "Ethan lost his life, and we will never know if she had been at home whether he could have been alive today, and that's quite difficult because she will be able to come out and maybe her life won't be the same. But she still gets to live it."