Infant drowned in the bath while his parents were making phone calls

An 11-month-old boy tragically drowned in a bath after his parents left him unsupervised for 11 minutes to make phone calls. The child, Theo Taylor-Maloney, was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His mother, Jessica Taylor, had been making a call to her mother regarding a provisional driving licence, and his father, Michael Maloney, was speaking with a credit union at the time of the tragedy in October 2020, the coroner heard. Both parents have previously pleaded guilty to allowing or causing the death of a child in criminal proceedings and received suspended sentences.

In a heartfelt statement read out at Manchester Coroners' Court, Ms Taylor, now 29, remembered her son. She said: "Theo was a kind and loving and caring little boy who always had a smile on his face. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.

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"He was a very happy and bubbly boy who brought so much joy to everyone. He never failed to put a smile on anyone's face."

She described Theo as a "very clever little boy" who enjoyed playing with his sisters, reports the Manchester Evening News. Coroner Zak Golombeck concluded that Theo had drowned after being left in the bath with his two older sisters without adult supervision.

During her testimony, Ms Taylor mentioned that Theo was her third child and that she has since had another child. Coroner Zak Golombek questioned Ms Taylor about the circumstances surrounding Theo's tragic death.

She revealed that children's services were involved around the time of Theo's birth and she was regularly visited by a health visitor. She remembered receiving advice on "safe bathing" from the health visitor, emphasising that mothers should never leave an infant unattended in the bath.

Ms Taylor explained that she usually bathed Theo in the sink, and the day of the tragedy marked the first time he was bathed in the bath. Her usual routine involved bathing the older siblings first, followed by Theo.

At the time of his death, Theo had developed the ability to pull himself up and was attempting to walk independently, the inquest heard. While one of the older siblings could get into the bath independently, the other two required assistance, Ms Taylor added.

She confirmed that on the morning of October 27 at their Wythenshawe home, she helped Theo and his youngest sister into the bath. Ms Taylor admitted that she did not have a bath seat for baby Theo and typically sat on the toilet while her children were in the bath.

She recalled how her eldest child, who had already taken her bath, called out to her from her bedroom, prompting her to leave the bathroom. She agreed that she had told police she believed 'Mikey' was watching the children in the bath.

Ms Taylor agreed with the coroner that her claim was that Mr Maloney, now 27, who was in the bedroom, was "aware" that the youngest siblings were being bathed.

Ms Taylor revealed that she noticed Theo submerged in water, but couldn't specify for how long. The inquest heard that an investigation into the tragic incident found that Ms Taylor had left Theo and his sibling "unsupervised" for 11 to 12 minutes while she was on a phone call with her mother.

Ms Taylor admitted that she couldn't recall if she had instructed Mr Maloney to check on the children in the bathroom during her phone call. She agreed that leaving Theo and his older sister unsupervised was a mistake. She also acknowledged that she had previously received advice about "safe bathing" from a health visitor. The court heard that attempts were made to resuscitate Theo amidst high emotions.

Mr Maloney, who shared Theo with Ms Taylor but was not the father of the other siblings, confirmed that he was present when the health visitor discussed safe sleeping and bathing practices. Mr Maloney said he had previously bathed Theo in the sink but had no memory of the baby being in the bath initially on October 27. He clarified that he wouldn't have bathed "the girls" as they weren't his children and claimed to have no recollection of leaving the siblings unattended in the bath.

He explained he was "checking" his phone on the bed in the bedroom at that time. He mentioned descending to take a call from the Manchester Credit Union because it was "loud upstairs".

He could not remember whether Ms Taylor was on another call, thinking she was with the children. Mr Maloney realised something was amiss when Ms Taylor came downstairs, which led to a 999 call and attempts to revive Theo.

He refuted allegations of previously leaving Theo unsupervised in a paddling pool, clarifying it was a "slip and slide".

Investigator Martin Rigby, from GMP's major incident support unit, told the inquest that Ms Taylor and Mr Maloney faced charges for allowing or causing the death of a child. Both initially denied the charge but admitted guilt just before the trial commenced, as heard at the inquest.

They received two-year suspended jail sentences, the hearing was told.

The officer said the investigation's conclusions suggest all three children were left alone in the bath while the parents were preoccupied by separate telephone calls. One of Theo's sisters sounded the alarm; Theo was found lifeless.

It appeared that neither parent, he said, "was on the phone within the bathroom or within the vicinity of the bathroom".

The inquest heard that little Theo's death was caused by drowning. The coroner dismissed claims from Ms Taylor that her older daughter was not in the bath at the time and established that all three children were left unmonitored.

"Based on all their ages and with particular focus on Theo who was just two days short of his first birthday, this was not appropriate parenting," Mr Golombeck said.

Both parents were found to have been making phone calls instead of watching over their children. In a narrative find the coroner said: "Theo died from drowning after being left unsupervised in the bath by his parents."