By Isabelle Bates
Copyright birminghammail
A mum has been convicted of child cruelty following the death of her five-month-old baby girl. Natasha Birks, 37, drank vodka and smoked cigarettes with a friend as her daughter, Rhian, slept on a sofa in the house. Birks failed to check on the youngster who was later found dead on November 1, 2021. READ MORE: Morrisons customers with these jobs handed 10% discount in store Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join The mum, of Longton in Stoke-on-Trent, was celebrating her birthday at the time of the tragedy and had sole responsibility for baby Rhian. The tot had been fine throughout the afternoon when Birks fed her a bottle around 6.30pm. After falling asleep during feeding, she was placed on the downstairs sofa while Birks put her older child to bed upstairs. With both children asleep, Birks and a friend opened a full bottle of vodka ahead of Birks’s birthday the following day. The pair consumed large quantities of vodka mixed with orange juice and Irish cream liqueur in a separate room from where Rhian slept. Birks ate nothing to counteract the alcohol’s effects and left the house several times to smoke cigarettes, a court heard. Birks only briefly observed her daughter from a dining room doorway rather than conducting proper checks throughout the evening. And when Rhian did not wake for her usual feed between 4.30am and 6.30am, Birks failed to notice this deviation from routine. Between 6am and 9am, Birks did not recognise her daughter’s deterioration in health. When the ambulance crews arrived, they noted signs of rigor mortis which indicated that Rhian may have been deceased for some time. Birks was convicted of child cruelty at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday, September 17. Elaine Radway, from Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Natasha Birks chose to drink heavily while responsible for her five-month-old baby who was entirely dependent on her. “Although she did not cause her child’s death or foresee this devastating outcome, her level of intoxication meant she could not provide the supervision Rhian needed. “The law holds parents accountable for the safety and wellbeing of their children, and as we have seen in this case, there are serious consequences when parents fail in their fundamental duty to protect vulnerable children. “Our thoughts remain with all those affected.” Birks is due to be sentenced on December 18.
