Baby boy suffocated after slipping between a bed and a wall as he slept in a caravan with his parents while they were on their honeymoon.

 

Ten-month-old baby boy: The parents of Thomas Woods pushed two single beds together for him to sleep on because he would not settle in his cot

A ten-month-old baby boy suffocated after slipping between a bed and a wall as he slept in a caravan with his parents while they were on their honeymoon, an inquest heard.

Matthew Woods, 27, and his wife Jade, 20, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, pushed two single beds together for their son Thomas to sleep on because he would not settle in his cot.

The couple, who also have an older daughter, packed bedding in the gap between the wall and bed to prevent him falling on the floor of the caravan at Hopton Holiday Park in the night.

But Mr Woods found his son’s body the next morning - and police launched an investigation, but found no suspicious circumstances and cleared the husband and wife of neglect.

Yesterday, Norfolk Coroner Jacqueline Lake also concluded at a hearing in Norwich that the death on the third night of the family’s four-day stay in October last year was an accident.

Mr Woods told the inquest: ‘For the two weeks before we went, Thomas had been ill with a cold and a cough. On the first two nights we put him to sleep in his travel cot, but he did not settle.’

He said they pushed two single beds together so Thomas could sleep on them and packed the gap between the wall with pillows and a duvet as a precaution. 

But he described the chilling moment when he found what had happened to his son when he went check on him the next morning.

 

 

Family: Matthew Woods (centre), 27, and his wife Jade (left), 20, are pictured with Thomas (bottom right) and their daughter, whose face is obscured. Mrs Woods said she would treasure the memory of her son forever.

 

Caravan park: The couple had packed bedding in the gap between the wall and bed to prevent Thomas falling on the floor of the caravan at Hopton Holiday Park (pictured) in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in the night

The police probe into the circumstances of Thomas’s death was launched after emergency services were called to the caravan park.

A post mortem examination gave the cause of Thomas’s death as accidental suffocation.

Detective Sergeant Alison McCulloch of Norfolk Police, told the hearing: ‘At the time Thomas had a heavy cold and respiratory infection, which could have affected his breathing.

‘It appeared he did not have the strength to free himself from the location. There is no evidence to suspect Jade or Matthew were neglectful in any way.

‘Hindsight is helpful to the bereaved, and the travel cot was the best location for Thomas where he could not have slipped in to the gap.’

Sergeant Jamie Hollis added that Mr and Mrs Woods did not blame each other, were helpful, and keen to understand what had happened.

Mrs Lake expressed her deepest condolences to the couple and told them: ‘This was clearly an accident’.

She said: ‘Thomas Woods was on holiday with his parents staying in a static caravan. His parents had pushed two single beds together for him to sleep in.

‘A gap between the bed and the wall was packed with pillows and a duvet to prevent Thomas hurting himself should he fall out of the bed. Just before 8am on October 16, Thomas’s father found him unresponsive in the gap between the bed and the wall.

‘Police and paramedics attended the scene, where Thomas was pronounced as having died. Police indicated there is nothing suspicious about Thomas’s death.’

Mrs Woods said she would treasure the memory of her son forever, adding: ‘Tommy was such a clever little boy. His smile would make my day. 

'He was the best thing that ever happened to me. He was a mummy’s boy, and every time I would go away he would cry for me until I came back. Suddenly he went too soon and gained his angel wings. The memories we had will never go, and will be treasured for the rest of my life.’