'There is evidence he was exposed to both cocaine and cannabis'

CORONER'S WORDS OVER DEATH OF BABY IN 'FILTHY' HOME

- NICOLE WOOTTON-CANE

A FOUR-MONTH-OLD baby boy died in a 'filthy' and 'unsanitary' home with traces of cocaine and cannabis in his system, an inquest heard.

Mum Sophie Riley found baby Grant John Storey-Delaney 'turning grey with a blanket over his face' in his baby bouncer in the early hours of February 22, 2021, a hearing at Rochdale Coroners Court was told. Paramedics attended, but Grant had already died.

Searching the family's home on Buckley Lane, Rochdale, in the following days, police found the property was 'filthy and cluttered, with rubbish 'strewn' over the floor, the boiler set to 80C and litter trays filled with cat urine and faeces, the court heard.

A post-mortem examination found that several factors could have caused or contributed to Grant's death. These included the temperature of the house, which police measured at 26C at 3.30am, the drugs found in his system, and the 'baby bouncer,' he was sleeping in which was described as 'not a safe long-term sleeping position for a child, 'either in isolation or combined. While she ruled the cause of death as unascertained, coroner Catherine McKenna recorded an open conclusion, noting that Grant had been found with drugs in his system in an 'unsanitary' environment.