London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 10, 2026

Mum doesn't give a damn and poses for camera outside court over baby death

Mum doesn't give a damn and poses for camera outside court over baby death

A woman who left her baby son to die in his cot posed for pictures outside court before she was jailed for child cruelty.

Stacey Davis, 31, left Ethan in his cot while she went to a local park and ran errands.

For two hours the one-year-old had nobody caring for him when the temperature hit 27°C with windows closed and no fan.

When she returned two hours later she failed to check on Ethan for another 30 minutes, texting a friend instead, before discovering his lifeless body in his cot.

He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving in hospital on June 27, 2018.

It was later discovered that he had a five-inch skull fracture but the cause of death remained unascertained after a post-mortem.

She said that he had fallen and banged his head but admitted she didn’t take him to hospital despite swelling, bruising and obvious stress.


Stacey Davis appeared very relaxed as she headed to court

Her defence lawyer, Mark Ashley, said she was suffering from post-natal depression after he was born prematurely via C-section and needed colon surgery, resulting in a two-month hospital stay.

He said she had struggled to bond with Ethan and did not visit him in hospital much because she couldn’t get lifts from her family.

Cannabis was found in his hair, which Davis said was because she smoked weed around him regularly.

Mr Ashley said: ‘She was coping with it in the wrong way – she was smoking cannabis’.

Judge Parkes KC cut him off saying: ‘It was incredibly stupid. Go outside and do it.’

Describing Davis’ behaviour as ‘thoroughly selfish’ and jailing her for two years Judge Parkes KC said: ‘There is no evidence you or his father caused Ethan’s death, no suggestion you did so.

Baby Ethan Davis,1, died in his crib after being left alone in a hot room with a fractured skull for over two hours while his mum went out shopping

Stacey Davis smiled and waved to photographers outside Salisbury court before being sentenced to two years in jail for child cruelty


‘The sad fact is that you fell very seriously short of the duty owed to Ethan as his mother.

‘He suffered a 15cm skull fracture one-to-three weeks before his death, likely to be from blunt impact of significant force.

‘You failed to seek medical attention for the injury to his head. Any normal parent would put the child’s health before anything.

‘It is clear you abandoned him on two occasions, including the day of this death.

‘This is aggravated by the fact it happened twice. You left Ethan alone in his cot in a room with a closed window.

‘What is particularly appalling about this episode is that you spent half an hour on the phone, sending and receiving messages [when you arrived home], until you went to check on Ethan.

‘You had not seen him, checked on him, for nearly three hours.’

Davis has started a drug rehabilitation course but smoked it this week due to her ‘stress levels being particularly high.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Following Massive Investor Demand: SK Hynix Raises 26.5 Billion Dollars on Nasdaq
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
After Four Years, and Under a Heavy Veil of Secrecy: King Charles Meets His Grandchildren, Harry and Meghan's Children
Cross-Party MPs Call for National Climate Emergency Broadcast
Bayeux Tapestry Arrives in the United Kingdom for Landmark Exhibition
United Kingdom Launches Modern Slavery Prevention Programme in Vietnam
Police Warn Against Misinformation Following Disorder in Glasgow
Pension Reform Takes Effect to Consolidate Workplace Savings Industry
Treasury and Bank of England Monitor Economy as Energy Price Pressures Ease
Government Orders Treasury Reform of Disciplinary Procedures Following Civil Servant's Death
Ofcom to Require Major Technology Platforms to Block Scam Advertisements
Labour Apologizes Over Gaza Position in Bid to Rebuild Support
High Court Rules UK-France Asylum Agreement Protection Cuts Were Unlawful
Metropolitan Police Open Murder Investigation Into Death of Former MP Ann Widdecombe
University College London Report Proposes Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty With National Property Tax
Treasury Places Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle Under New UK Financial System Oversight Rules
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
Westminster in Freefall as Farage's By-Election Gamble Triggers Broader Systemic Crises
Institutional Fractures and Political Volatility Reshape Britain's Domestic Landscape
Deadly Fire, Health Emergencies and Political Upheaval Shape a Volatile Global News Cycle
UK Energy Strategy Focuses on Storage and Offshore Wind to Support Renewable Transition
Regional Governments Gain Greater Role in Britain’s Infrastructure and Economic Strategy
Britain Strengthens Technology Sovereignty Through Tougher Artificial Intelligence Competition Rules
UK Government Expands Artificial Intelligence Use Across Public Services Despite Privacy Debate
UK Universities Warn of Financial Pressure After Sharp Fall in International Student Enrolment
Welsh Government Completes Rail Nationalisation With One Point Five Billion Pound Modernisation Plan
Northern Ireland Records Export Growth as Companies Benefit From Dual UK and EU Market Access
Greater Manchester Launches Two Billion Pound Plan to Convert Empty Commercial Sites Into Housing
National Grid Connects Europe’s Largest Battery Storage Facility in Yorkshire
UK Defence Ministry Plans Royal Navy Autonomous Fleet Deployment to Indo-Pacific
Scotland Approves Europe’s Largest Floating Offshore Wind Project Near Aberdeen
Competition and Markets Authority Blocks Forty Billion Pound Technology Deal Over AI Security Concerns
UK Launches Five Hundred Million Pound Artificial Intelligence Network for National Health Service Diagnostics
Bank of England Signals Possible Interest Rate Cuts After Inflation Falls Below Target
UK Government Unveils Major Wealth Tax Reform to Fund National Health Service Infrastructure Expansion
Flight Instructor Jumped to His Death — Student Landed the Plane: "You Know What You Need to Do"
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Prince Harry Suffers Major Court Defeat in Legal Battle Against Daily Mail Publisher
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh Singer Behind Total Eclipse of the Heart, Dies at 75
Barclays and PwC Report Examines Economic Opportunities from Financial Asset Tokenisation
Pound Sterling Strengthens as Investors Anticipate Further Bank of England Rate Increases
British Business Bank Invests Twenty-Seven Million Pounds in Kraken Technology Defence Expansion
UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle Backs State Investment Strategy Inspired by US Approach
UK Electricity System Issues Margin Notice as Heatwave Tightens Evening Supply Outlook
Labour Leadership Contest Opens as Andy Burnham Emerges as Expected Sole Candidate
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
×