A young mum has issued a heartfelt plea for parents not to fall asleep cradling their babies in bed. Leanne Williams, 25, was speaking after the inquest into the death of her 11-week-old son Iestyn. Miss Williams said: 'I wouldn't let Iestyn away from me. I had him everywhere, even at night. I want to say to other mums: 'Put them in a cot'. If one good thing can come out of this, it's that I can warn other parents.'
Miss Williams, of Penygraig, Rhondda, revealed she and Iestyn's dad, Andrew Williams, 42, split not long after Iestyn's death, because their relationship was under so much pressure. Factory worker Mr Williams, of Cwmaman, Aberdare, supported and comforted his ex-girlfriend at the inquest in Pontypridd Coroner's Court.
Iestyn's grandmother Ann Williams said in a statement how events unfolded on February 17.
'I saw Leanne rushing in through the front door, holding Iestyn in her arms,' she said. 'She was crying hysterically saying, 'Mam, quickly, he's not breathing - do something'. I looked at Iestyn and could see that he was gone.'
Iestyn's mother told police she fell asleep in bed with her son and five-year-old daughter, Shannon. Pathologist Dr Gordon Voujanic, who carried out a post-mortem examination at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llantrisant, was unable to find a cause of death.
Recording an open verdict, coroner Philip Walters said: 'Children sleeping with adults isn't ideal.'
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December 2006 | 
What? No Daddy?
