To think a jail sentence for this tragic case of neglect achieves nothing?

[QuadBod]

The mum whose baby drowned in the bath while she was distracted on her phone: BBC News - Northamptonshire mum jailed for killing baby son left alone in bath
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-56860846

Completely tragic, but what does the jail sentence achieve? Publicity perhaps, and maybe that will help to save other lives, but otherwise I don't get it.

AngstyMom

Yes. It benefits other babies whose parents might consider doing this, by underlining that they did something seriously wrong and avoidable, and will be held accountable.

@Fieldoftheclothofgold

AngstyMom

Yes. It benefits other babies whose parents might consider doing this, by underlining that they did something seriously wrong and avoidable, and will be held accountable.

I think the cautionary tale of the drowned child would do that far more than the prospect of 22 months in prison (with time off for good behaviour) tbh.

I think the cautionary tale of the drowned child would do that far more than the prospect of 22 months in prison (with time off for good behaviour) tbh.

Not for people with the tendency to make neglectful or negligent decisions, clearly. This isn’t relevant to responsible parents who listen to cautionary tales.

@Fieldoftheclothofgold

I think the cautionary tale of the drowned child would do that far more than the prospect of 22 months in prison (with time off for good behaviour) tbh.

Not for people with the tendency to make neglectful or negligent decisions, clearly. This isn’t relevant to responsible parents who listen to cautionary tales.

You don't have to be a responsible parent to listen to cautionary tales. Generally speaking, people who are likely to think that they don't need to listen to official guidance on things like bath seats and cot bumpers are more likely to listen to anecdata on Facebook. Share the story on there, people will listen.

You don't have to be a responsible parent to listen to cautionary tales. Generally speaking, people who are likely to think that they don't need to listen to official guidance on things like bath seats and cot bumpers are more likely to listen to anecdata on Facebook. Share the story on there, people will listen

But they don’t listen, clearly. This isn’t the first time a child has drowned in the bath. It’s very hard to imagine this mother hadn’t heard of a child drowning in the bath. Items negligence because the risk is so clear.

Anyway, will have to agree to disagree.

If you the threat of prison time was enough to stop such people we'd have no crime.

But yeah, let's call it a day. I'm off to bed.

You DO NOT leave a baby/toddler/young child in a bath unattended, ever, not even for 1 minute. Poor little boy x

@EmmaGrundyForPM

The McCanns are white, middle class "respectable" people. Their surviving children weren't removed from them and they weren't prosecuted for neglect.

This woman is black, working class and possibly has some learning difficulties. And people are only too quick to say she absolutely should go to prison and that she might do it or something similar to any other children she may have.

No one has ever suggested that the McCanns might put their other children at risk even though they have never acknowledged that their actions were negligent

Indeed, there is a massive difference in outcome depending on who you are, background, social status, education, possibly race...

100% deserves jail time. I have no pity for her since she believes a phone call was more important than looking after her baby properly.

**Well you could say the same for many manslaughter cases. Accidentally kill someone while you're driving? Surely taking away their license would be enough? 🤨

She killed her child. She absolutely should be sent to jail.**

^I agree. She also lied to the police to cover up what she did. Deserves jail.

^ I agree with above posts too

@AngstyMom

And if the law took that approach, killing your child would go without further punishment. All you’d have to do would be to say you were sad afterwards. So their lives would be considered to have no innate value, only value to you as the parent.

Not if you'd intentionally killed them, obviously.

How can you tell? Someone could deliberately crush an infant in bed or take alcohol. Someone could drop their child and claim out an accident.

As long as they appear sad after, that's enough?

@spittycup There's no suggestion that the mother in question intended to kill her baby.

It's fairly rare in cases like this to see a custodial sentence handed down, and for good reason.

[quote AngstyMom]@spittycup There's no suggestion that the mother in question intended to kill her baby.

It's fairly rare in cases like this to see a custodial sentence handed down, and for good reason.[/quote]
Sure but in general, how can anyone tell the difference? As unfortunate as it is this was an instance of neglect. I can empathise but where does it end if everyone of given a free pass

That's why it's not purely about intentions. There have been cases of parents who kill their kids faking tears and being wrongly believed (like the young girl whose parents went on This morning a few years ago)

To reiterate I can empathise with this case but still.

It's common fucking sense to not leave a baby alone in a bath. That poor child is dead due to a lack of common sense.

I am sure she is absolutely devastated, who wouldn't be? She will have to live with this the rest of her life but there has to be consequences

A local lady to me put her toddler in the bath with her 6 year old then went outside for a fag and chat on the phone and the toddler drowned. She was under SS radar their whole lives and was so neglectful of them. She went to prison for a short time.