A mum has been jailed after leaving her baby home alone to die with a fractured skull on a sizzingly hot day - while she got a car wash and went shopping.
Stacey Davis, 35, left one-year-old Ethan Davis in his cot for two hours while she ran errands and visited a park on a day that saw temperatures reach 27C.
The youngster was at home alone, trapped in a warm room with no windows open or fans on in hot weather.
When Davis, who regularly smoked cannabis around her son, returned to the property she began texting a friend and failed to check on him for at least another 30 minutes.
Davis, of Melksham, Wiltshire, then went into his room and discovered him lifeless and unresponsive in his cot.
He was rushed to hospital on June 27, 2018 and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
She appeared at Salisbury Crown Court on Thursday and was jailed for two years for an offence of child cruelty.
Davis had admitted the offence at a previous hearing in May 2022.
Prosecutor Simon Jones told the court that a post-mortem examination found a significant head injury - a 15cm skull fracture - but Ethan's cause of death remains unascertained.
Under questioning, Davis told police that her son had fallen out of a door and hit his head - and despite the swelling, bruising and obvious distress, she failed to take him to hospital.
"Any reasonable parent would have noticed the distress and sought medical attention", Mr Jones added.
Forensic investigator Nicola Anderson also detected that there were high levels of cannabis in Ethan's hair.
She said it was consistent with Davis smoking the drug around Ethan regularly.
Police today released a mugshot of a sobbing Davis with tears in her eyes.
Defence barrister Mark Ashley said his client's case was a "classic example of post-natal depression".
Ethan was born prematurely via C-section and required colon surgery immediately, resulting in a two-month stay in hospital.
He said Davis had relationship problems and financial issues and was struggling to bond with Ethan.
She was visiting him in the hospital infrequently, blaming the inability to obtain lifts from family.
"Not only suffering from that, she was coping with it in the wrong way – she was smoking cannabis", Mr Ashley added.
Judge Parkes KC interjected, stating: "It was incredibly stupid, go outside and do it."
Continuing, Mr Ashley told of how the defendant was scared to take Ethan to the hospital with an injury after social services previously removed him from her care due to a suspected broken leg.
However, he was returned when the injury was found not to exist and found no wrongdoing.
He told the court that Davis has been working with Turning Point to cut out her cannabis use, but has smoked it this week due to her "stress levels being particularly high".
Asking for a suspended prison sentence, he added: "Everybody involved is trying to rebuild their lives, she is trying to rebuild her life.
''The matter has been hanging over her head for years, she is extremely worried about going into custody."
Describing Davis' behaviour as "thoroughly selfish", Judge Parkes KC imposed a two-year immediate prison sentence, for which she will serve half in custody.
He said: "There is no evidence you or his father caused Ethan's death, no suggestion you did so.
''The sad fact is that you fell very seriously short of the duty owed to Ethan as his mother.
"He suffered a 15cm skull fracture one-to-three weeks before his death, likely to be from blunt impact of significant force.
''You failed to seek medical attention for the injury to his head. Any normal parent would put the child’s health before anything.
"It is clear you abandoned him on two occasions, including the day of this death. This is aggravated by the fact it happened twice. You left Ethan alone in his cot in a room with a closed window.
"You sat on a bench at one point, and you took [a child] to the park and went to a shop.
''You had taken your car to the car wash on way back. It is reasonably clear you weren’t in a hurry.
"What is particularly appalling about this episode is that you spent half an hour on the phone, sending and receiving messages [when you arrived home], until you went to check on Ethan.
''You had not seen him, checked on him, for nearly three hours."
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Walker from the Major Crime Investigation Team, said he would like to offer his "sincere and heartfelt condolences" to Ethan's family.
"Davis' actions on the day her son died fell well below the duty she owed to him as his mother - she should have loved him, cared for him and put his welfare first, as any loving, doting parent would," he said.
"It has been over four years since he died and I know that this has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone who knew and loved him."
Detective Walker carried on to say that his team had worked "tirelessly" on what had been a challenging and upsetting case - and their hard work had ensured it had now been followed through to its conclusion.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: "A Melksham woman has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to child cruelty.
"Stacey Davis, 35, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court yesterday following the death of a one-year-old boy back in June 2018. Davis had left the boy alone in his cot while she went out before returning home and eventually checking on the boy's welfare later that day.
"He was found lifeless in his cot and was taken to the Royal United Hospital, where he sadly died despite the best efforts of emergency services.
"A detailed and complex investigation was carried out following the baby's death including extensive reviews by expert witnesses, however, a cause of death was not identified.
"The Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the case put forward by Wiltshire Police and authorised charges of child cruelty and possession of cannabis for Davis."
