Arrested For 'overlaying'?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2728656/Grandmother-55-arrested-suspicion-accidentally-suffocating-three-week-old-baby-falling-asleep-drunk.html

What a tragedy, this poor women will have to live with that for the rest of her life, yes I know it has been reported that she was drunk at the time, but arrested for causing the baby's death by overlaying, has anyone else heard of that?

/// His grandmother was arrested later at hospital on suspicion of causing the baby's death by overlaying. ///

/// Overlaying is the offence of suffocating a child aged under three while asleep with them when intoxicated. ///

[sandyRoe]

It seems a charge that Dickens might have wrote about. It's a tragedy for the family and some may say she's been punished more than enough already.

[Sqad]

Drunk whilst babysitting 3 week old baby................

3 week old baby on the sofa with a drunken grandma......

C'mon.......that surely is stupid and irresponsible.

[andy-hughes]

sQAD - "Drunk whilst babysitting 3 week old baby................

3 week old baby on the sofa with a drunken grandma......

C'mon.......that surely is stupid and irresponsible"

Of course it is - no-one would deny the stupidity and irresponsibility of this situation.

But that in no way detracts from the tragedy for all involved.

[Old_Geezer]

I hadn't. In fact I thought this thread was about chickens. Not so amusing when one reads the actual story :-(

[vakayu]

Is this a newish word in the vocabulary of offences,or has it been around for years,only I have never heard it used in this context?

[Mamyalynne]

It's a very old term but have never heard it used in a legal context.


Heartbreaking for everyone concerned.

[vakayu]

Thanks mamy I have only heard it as a decorative term,truly a heartbreaking story!

[woofgang]

There isn't enough info in the report to make a judgement either way.
Made sleepy by one glass of wine or can of beer is one thing, Drinking till you get drunk when caring for a child is something else. Would you feel so sympathetic if the accused had been smoking pot?
The fact is if you are an adult in sole charge of a child you need to behave in certain ways and not in others.

[sp1814]

Friends I know who have children always ensure that one of them is sober enough to drive if there were an emergency (eg. had to drive to a hospital).

Very tragic case here...to kill your own accidentally is something that this woman will never recover from.

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// Friends I know who have children always ensure that one of them is sober enough to drive if there were an emergency (eg. had to drive to a hospital). ///

And very sensible I am sure, but you are talking about a couple of parents, what if they happen to hold a very large party with children asleep in their rooms, or in the case of babysitters do they hire them in pairs?

[Sqad]

andy...of course....of course.........but i thought that the point of the thread was to ascertain whether family grief was enough punishment or if there should be a ? custodial element here.

Have i got it wrong?

Causing death whilst drunk in charge of a car and causing death whilst drunk in charge of a 3 week old baby are the same, invoking similar penalties..........in my opinion.

Tragedy? of course.....there is always tragedy in death.

[sp1814]

Hold very large parties?

All of the parents I know are too knackered all the time to even *consider* hosting a party, large or otherwise.

[SeaJayPea]

Bit premature here, imho.

The Daily Mail says she was drunk. The Police have said nothing of the kind, nor have they said how much alcohol she had in her system. "Drinking alcohol" could just mean she'd had a glass of wine with a meal. It could, of course, mean that she was completely bladdered. We just don't know. And nor will we until the inquest.

She's been arrested, not charged with anything.

[woofgang]

If I hired a babysitter I would expect them NOT to drink at all while they are responsible for my children. Equally at parties, the people who I know who have children choose between them who will be the designated driver and therefore the adult who is responsible for the children. This happens whether they are hosts or guests at the party.

[Old_Geezer]

Naw. It's the Au Pair and Nanny who are too tired sp.

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// All of the parents I know are too knackered all the time to even *consider* hosting a party, large or otherwise. ///

Wow how strange, knackered or too tight? :0)

[Daffy6543]

In my opinion she deserves to be prosecuted.

[kvalidir]

I think it very much depends on how much she had had to drink. As someone said wine with a meal is distinctly different to being hammered out of your face. I think the reality of it is, she will never forgive herself and her daughter is unlikely to either, so she probably has suffered enough regardless of what happens. What possible good could a prosecution lead to? Unless she had drunk a significant amount, ie over the drink drive limit, I really do think its simply what most people would describe as a terrible accident. The word accident exists because sometimes things happen which we don't anticipate. I know it's popular to find blame in everything at the moment and a person to catch the fall for everything, but this woman clearly never anticipated this happening or she would not have done it, so I really do think some things are just accidents and should be treated as such.

[Sqad]

Kvali....I agree entirely but we can only answer the OP on the facts that we have and here they are:

\\\A three-week-old baby has died after his grandmother allegedly fell asleep on top of him on a sofa while drunk. //

[kvalidir]

But we don't actually have any 'facts' sqad is my point. We have a newspaper making headlines and flogging copies and they don't know if she was stocious or merely had a trace of alcohol in her system. the police haven't charged her as yet; if and when they do I'll happily reconsider but at the moment it looks like a particularly nasty witch hunt to me.