Mother jailed for manslaughter of baby in Blackpool
A post-mortem gave a cause of the baby's death as suffocation.
Last updated 1st Apr 2021
A Blackpool woman has today (Thursday, April 1) been jailed for the manslaughter of her baby daughter.
Caitlin Jones, 21, of Willowbank Avenue, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison at Preston Crown Court for the manslaughter of eight-month-old Francesca Haworth.
Police were called by the Ambulance Service around 7.30am on November 7, 2018, following reports a baby had been found unresponsive at an address on Frederick Street.
Emergency services attended with Francesca taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where she sadly later died.
A Home Office post-mortem gave a cause of death as suffocation.
Detectives launched an investigation into Francesca’s death and seized a number of items including Jones’ phone and iPad.
Expert analysis of these devices established that several searches had been conducted related to suffocating babies and whether you could be prosecuted if your baby was found suffocated.
At hospital, Jones had asked if she was going to be held responsible for Francesca’s death and provided inconsistent information to police about how she had found her daughter in her cot.
Jones was arrested and later charged with murder in July 2020.
However, following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, a guilty plea to manslaughter was accepted.
Jones was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.