Sentence: 18 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement, £250 fine
On the evening of November 1, 2021, Natasha Birks, aged 38, of Ricardo Street in Longton, drank a bottle of vodka with a friend to celebrate her upcoming birthday, while having sole responsibility for her five-month-old daughter Rhian overnight. Rhian had been teething and unwell in the preceding days. After her partner left for work at 1.15am, Birks and her friend placed the sleeping baby on a sofa between them and went to sleep. At 6am, Birks noticed the blanket had fallen off Rhian but did not properly check her condition, simply replacing the blanket without seeing her face colour. She failed to move Rhian to her cot at multiple opportunities during the night. At 9am, Birks discovered Rhian was not breathing. Emergency services pronounced the baby dead at 9.35am in the ambulance from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, with no ascertained cause linked to neglect. Birks was estimated to be two-and-a-half times the drink-drive limit at 9am. The neglect involved failing to monitor the child's health deterioration due to alcohol impairment and the risky sleeping arrangement on the sofa.