A dad has been jailed after neglecting his 19-month-old daughter who was found dead days before Christmas. Little Kiera Conroy had been left without food for 21 hours.
Michael Conroy, 27, admitted neglecting his daughter and has been jailed for 14 months. He was sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court in Scotland where Sheriff Fergus Thomson branded the case 'tragic', GlasgowLive reports.
The little girl had been found lifeless by her parents, Conroy and Kirsty Boyle, on December 20, 2017 at around 5pm. They had stayed up through the previous night watching TV then slept for hours leaving the toddler alone in another room.
An investigation revealed the youngster had been fed four chicken nuggets and spaghetti hoops before being left without food. A doctor said bags of rubbish lying around the filthy flat were a 'suffocation hazard' and that coming into contact with dirty nappies could lead to a bacterial infection.
Conroy, of Coatbridge, near Glasgow in North Lanarkshire, admitted wilfully causing or procuring his daughter to be ill-treated, neglected and exposed in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering or injury to health at Airdrie Sheriff Court.
Paul Belardo, defending: "Clearly this is a difficult and harrowing matter and the situation with the young child losing her life is nothing short of tragic. Michael Conroy and his partner require to live with that loss and he will now carry a conviction and he accepts his care of Kiera fell quite significantly short of what you would expect.
"This will weigh heavily on Mr Conroy for the rest of his life and no matter what happens to him in court, nothing will impact him as much as what has already happened. He is prepared to accept any disposal the court deems appropriate but I would ask that the court, taking in the whole circumstances of the case, takes a step back from custody."
Kiera's sudden death was initially treated as unexplained. Boyle later told police: "We were both shattered. We did an all nighter. It's a bad habit."
She said herself and Conroy had been up until 6.30am, watching a box set on TV and playing games on their phones. Boyle said she didn't hear Kiera at that point and 'assumed she was asleep' but the youngster was found 'very white' with sickness around her mouth.
The charge stated Conroy had failed to provide Kiera with adequate nourishment and fluids, left her alone and unattended for excessive periods and failed to provide suitable living conditions. He also admitted causing his daughter to be exposed to street valium pills.
Tablets were found within Kiera's travel cot but there was no suggestion that she had taken any. Sheriff Thomson said: "This is a tragic situation for all involved and I have listened carefully to what has been said on your behalf.
"Taking account of the fact that you have previously been the subject of a community payback order which was breached, with sadness, I have concluded that no method of disposal other than custody is appropriate."
The sheriff told Conroy he would have been sentenced to 18 months had he not pled guilty. Boyle had faced the same neglect charge as her partner but had her not guilty plea accepted by prosecutors.
