'Cruel' parents exposed baby to monkey dust before his death at seven weeks old

Little Ronnie Higginson died aged seven weeks in November 2019, with an inquest in Stoke hearing he had psycho-active substances in his blood and urine, believed to be monkey dust

Parents exposed a “neglected” baby to the drug known as monkey dust before he died aged just seven weeks old, an inquest heard.

Ronnie Higginson went into cardiac arrest at a home in Cobridge, Staffordshire, and was pronounced dead on November 26, 2019. A social worker who previously visited the house before Ronnie was born described the conditions as some of the worst she had seen in 16 years on the job.

An inquest into his death heard concerns had been raised about Ronnie's health in the days before his death. He was reported to be breathing rapidly and have a cough, as his parents were advised to take him to hospital or a walk-in centre, which they never did., StokeonTrentLive reported.

Mum Kayleigh Clarke has been jailed for 27 months after being convicted of child cruelty by neglect. Partner Michael Higginson received a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after being convicted of the same charge.

Toxicology tests revealed psycho-active substances in his blood and urine. Detective Inspector Gina Pope, from Staffordshire Police, said: "The drugs were of the same type as found on Michael Higginson at the time of his arrest in January 2020. After an examination it was concluded (Ronnie) would have been exposed to alpha-PHP and MDPEP - commonly known as monkey dust.

"Exposure to monkey dust would have increased the risk of cot death. It was clear he had some sort of respiratory tract infection - histology of his lungs showed evidence of acute inflammation. Both (Clarke and Higginson) admitted they were regular drug users, but at no point had they given any of their children drugs. But they were present, not necessarily in the same room."

The inquest heard the family was already known to social services. Helen Hawkins was an agency social worker at Stoke-on-Trent City Council from July to October 2019.

She told the inquest: "The first time I met the family and visited the home I was quite taken aback by how the conditions were. There were no carpets on the floor and no bedding. “There was a potty that looked like it had vomit in. At that time Kayleigh disclosed she was 30 weeks pregnant and went for a private scan.

“She had concealed a number of pregnancies. I have been a child protection worker for 16 years and the condition the children were living in was one of the worst I have ever seen."

She added there was a 'really strong' cannabis smell during another visit. Ms Hawkins completed her report on the conference and delivered it to Higginson around the time his partner was at the hospital giving birth to Ronnie. She left the authority just days later, on October 12.

The inquest continues.