London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 02, 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
Cleveland Police Receive £2 Million to Tackle Serious Crime in Middlesbrough
Number of Young People in England Without a Close Friend Reaches Record Level
Five Arrested After Newborn Baby Dies From Stab Wounds in Sheffield
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Reported Second Parliamentary Standards Investigation
UK Retirement Funding Requirement Rises by £64,000 Compared With 2021
UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since April, Nationwide Says
FCA Chief Faces Allegations of Intimidating Consumer Group Over £9 Billion Car Loan Inquiry
Scottish Government Presses Ahead With Cap on Essential Food Prices
Burnham Government Moves to Overhaul Early Prison Release Scheme
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026, Met Office Says
UK Government Announces Major Reset of Diplomatic Policy Towards Israel
UK Pushes Back After Trump Reopens Falkland Islands Sovereignty Dispute
Keir Starmer Resigns as MP, Triggering Holborn and St Pancras By-Election
Andy Burnham Blames Brexit for UK’s Decade of Weak Growth in First Commons Address
England Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Sewage Discharges and Water Quality
Victoria Beckham Business Reports First Operating Profit Since Launch
BT Expects £2 Billion From Copper Sales During Full-Fibre Rollout
UK Train Drivers Secure 3.6% Pay Rise and Avert Strike Action
FCA Chief Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Pressure on Consumer Group in Car Finance Case
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK House Prices Rise for First Time Since April
UK Shop-Price Inflation Accelerates to 1.5% in August
Met Office Data Point to Hottest UK Summer on Record
UK Announces Emergency Prison Release Measures and £110 Million Capacity Expansion
UK Launches Expanded Free School Meals and 1,400 Breakfast Clubs
Bank of England Governor Warns G20 of AI-Related Economic and Cyber Risks
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Calls for Greater Public Control of Water, Energy and Transport
UK Gains Full Access to £13 Trillion Trans-Pacific Trade Bloc
UK Long-Term Borrowing Costs Hit 28-Year High as Oil Shock Drives Global Bond Selloff
Royal Mail Keeps First-Class Stamps at £1.80 and Second-Class at 91p
Church of England Prepares Formal Apology Over Historical Forced Adoptions
UK Competition Regulator Caps Veterinary Prescription Fees at £21
UK Aviation Authorities Roll Out Airspace Changes to Reduce Flight Delays
England Makes School Allergy Policies Mandatory Under Benedict’s Law
England and Wales Tighten Child Safeguarding Checks by Removing Supervision Exemption
Cornwall Geothermal Plant Begins Commercial Power and Lithium Operations
UK Inflation Holds Near 2.9% as Energy Costs Remain a Risk
UK Productivity Growth Averages 1.1% Over Two Years, Resolution Foundation Says
England Introduces Nationwide School Smartphone Ban and Uniform Limits
UK Gives Border Officers New Powers to Seize Migrants’ Mobile Phones
Green Party Wins First Westminster By-Election in Gorton and Denton
UK and EU Advance Gibraltar Border Deal Allowing Spanish Guards to Conduct Arrival Checks
Robert Jenrick Joins Reform UK After Losing Conservative Whip
Andy Burnham Faces First Prime Minister’s Questions After Labour Cabinet Overhaul
ScottishPower Recycles Nearly All Materials From Historic Hagshaw Hill Wind Farm
Millions Travel Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for Summer Bank Holiday
Met Office Issues Yellow Thunderstorm Warnings Across Southern England
Four Arrested After Bank Holiday Stabbing Violence in Kettering
Scottish Chamber of Commerce Warns Tax and Business Costs Risk Holding Back Scotland
UK Government Launches Youth Employment Drive With Major Retailers
×