A couple who neglected their baby son in the months before his death are facing jail.
Stephen Angell, 44, and Laura Stevenson, 46, subjected Stephen Angell Jnr to harrowing mistreatment and he became ‘exceptionally thin’ before he died.
Traces of the class C drug diazepam were found in his milk bottle.
Stephen’s cause of death could not be determined but doctors had requested he be monitored ‘very closely’, and social work records showed concerns had been raised about his welfare while he was still alive.
Angell and Stevenson, of East Kilbride, denied any wrongdoing but were convicted of wilfully neglecting Stephen between August and November 2018 after a trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
Stephen Angell (right), 44, and Laura Stevenson (left), 46, subjected Stephen Angell Jnr to harrowing mistreatment and he became ‘exceptionally thin’ before he died
Laura Stevenson was seen in a yellow jacket smoking a cigarette
Stephen’s (pictured) cause of death could not be determined but doctors had requested he be monitored ‘very closely’, and social work records showed concerns had been raised about his welfare while he was still alive
The court heard that the baby had been hungry and dirty when he was examined by medical professionals and there were concerns his parents were not meeting his nutritional needs.
Professor Charlotte Wright said Stephen jnr was ‘exceptionally thin’ when she examined him.
During one exchange, Stevenson and Angell were advised to increase the amount of baby formula they were feeding Stephen, but Angell replied: ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.’
Dr Adrienne Sullivan said she examined the baby in October 2018 amid concerns over his failure to gain weight.
She said that his hands, feet and armpits were dirty, and he had long nails and a smell of body odour which was ‘unusual’.
She had concerns about nutrition after he gained 100g in three days under medical supervision but was struggling to gain weight at home.
In evidence, Dr Sullivan said: ‘There has been a failure to provide Stephen with adequate nutrition to provide the adequate gain that you would expect from a child who is being bottle fed.
‘If you don’t get enough to eat then you don’t have enough building blocks to grow, you don’t have the building blocks for your brain to develop. I recommended the health visitor monitor him very closely.’
In a report, health visitor Ann-Marie Hamilton also wrote: ‘He still appears hungry following a feed but parents don’t appear responsive to this.’
Stevenson had also once got drunk and left her son with a woman who was disabled and ‘morbidly obese’ and had gone to bed, the jury heard.
Stephen jnr was later discovered soaked in urine in the woman’s arms by her horrified daughter.
Depute fiscal John Coogan told jurors the presence of drugs in a baby bottle summed up the case against the pair.
He said: ‘The presence of diazepam inside the bottle presents an utterly compelling picture that baby Stephen was exposed to the risk of ingesting drugs and that is against a background of both accused being told of the importance of a sterile bottle.’
The court heard that the baby had been hungry and dirty when he was examined by medical professionals and there were concerns his parents were not meeting his nutritional needs
During one exchange, Stevenson and Angell were advised to increase the amount of baby formula they were feeding Stephen, but Angell replied: ‘If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’
Defence lawyers claimed that both Angell and Stevenson were being scapegoated by health care professionals.
George Gebbie, defending Angell, said: ‘He was desperate for the healthcare professionals to give him the right advice and it seems that from the evidence they just wouldn’t listen.’
Sheriff Colin Dunipace deferred sentence on both defendants until July for reports and continued bail.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘The tragic death of Stephen Angell jnr following months of despicable mistreatment is deeply upsetting.
‘Those responsible must now be held to account for their crimes.’