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Camden News - by TOM FOOT
Published: 12 February 2009

Parents’ shock at baby tragedy

Coroner rules that five-month-old boy died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

A TEENAGE couple are in shock after the unexplained death of their five-month-old baby boy.
Emma Rajraji, 18, and her 19-year-old partner Andre Spence, listened to a coroner investigate the mystery “cot death” of their son Ajay Spence at an inquest on Thursday.
Ms Rajraji, who lives in Fordwych Road, West Hampstead, said: “He was a beautiful boy. I would just like to say make the most of every moment of every minute in your life because you never know what’s going to happen.”
She added: “His death has worried me and scared me. But I enjoyed being a mum more than anything.”
St Pancras coroner Dr Andrew Reid ruled that Ajay had died from a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also known as cot death.
He said: “The baby suddenly stopped breathing. Sadly, babies under two years old can die suddenly in these circumstances.
“Co-sleeping with an adult can increase the risk for a vulnerable child by up to 40 times.”
Ms Rajraji, a former pupil of Holloway School in Hilldrop Crescent, said: “I woke up early as normal and he was smiling. He had some milk from his bottle and he just seemed very quiet so I went back to sleep. I woke up and he had rolled onto a quilt on the floor by the bed. We found him and he wasn’t moving.
“We phoned the ambulance and Andre attempted CPR. We were screaming.”
Ms Rajraji had taken baby Ajay to his doctor the day before because he had a cold.
Post mortem results revealed to the court that Ajay was carrying MRSA bacteria, although the coroner stressed this had not caused the death.
He said: “The presence of MRSA was not significant as to identifying the cause of death. He was a carrier of bacteria, but it was not causing infection
“There were no suspicious circumstances or signs of neglect or maltreatment.
“There was no abuse or trauma suffered. He had suffered a urinary tract infection but he had been seen by his GP the day before.
“He had been sleeping in bed and had been found unresponsive by his mother. His heart had suddenly stopped.”
Verdict: Natural causes.

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