Fife baby Ainslie Smith’s death caused by cot faults, sheriff rules
ByPress Association
The fatal accident inquiry was held at Cupar Sheriff Court.
A Fife baby who suffocated in a faulty cot would still be alive if an alteration already introduced in newer stock had been made, a sheriff has ruled.
Eight-month-old Ainslie Smith died while he slept at his home in Pitlessie in July 2009.
A fatal accident inquiry has today ruled that a defect in the child’s cot led to his “tragic, unneccesary” death.
Ainslie’s mum Alexandra Smith found her lifeless son wedged between the mattress and the cot’s slatted side, which had partially come away, creating a hazardous gap.
By the time of Ainslie’s death, manufacturer Cosatto had already introduced an alteration to the Stratford Cot Bed which would have prevented the tragedy, the inquiry at Cupar Sheriff Court found.
After the baby’s death, the company developed a safety strap for the model.
In his determination published today, Sheriff Charles Macnair said: “There was no dispute that this cot bed had a defect which rendered it unsafe. There were at least two alterations which could have been made to the design of the cot bed sold to Mr and Mrs Smith which would have avoided the death.”
