Tenbury baby bath death trail to conclude
The trial of parents accused of leaving their baby son alone in the bath, where he drowned, is expected to conclude this week.
Jurors in the trial of Lisa Passey and Wayne Dale, whose 13-month-old son Kian was found dead in the bath with soap suds in his lungs, have been told to re-convene at 10am on Monday where they will continue to decide on a verdict.
The final evidence in the case was heard on Friday.
Dale, 45, and Passey 28, both deny manslaughter by gross negligence by leaving Kian unsupervised in an upstairs bath-seat for at least 13 minutes at the then-couple's home in Tenbury Wells on September 26, 2015.
However, giving evidence this week, Passey told jurors it was a “regular occurrence” to leave little Kian alone in the bath, but “only for a few minutes”.
She said: “I don't want any pity. I was stupid for not going upstairs. It was down to me and Wayne, it's our fault.”
The court was also told by defence barristers that Kian may have turned the taps on while his parents were downstairs.
Dale previously broke down in tears as he told the jury how he found his baby son lying dead in the bath and said he thought Passey was upstairs in the bathroom and had not checked to make sure she was there.
But both had changed their stories from what they first told police, the court heard.
Jonas Hankin QC, prosecuting, told the jury that family friend Jeanette Morgan had come to the couple's three-bed end terrace in Kyreside at about teatime and she and Passey "drank coffee together and smoked cigarettes" outside and Dale used his computer to burn a copy of a CD, while baby Kian was alone in the bath seat upstairs.
On discovering Kian, Dale attempted to resuscitate him before the baby boy and Passey were flown by air ambulance to Birmingham children's hospital, where Kian was pronounced dead.
