Mother played on phone as unattended baby drowned in bath, court told
17 December 2024
A mother accused of playing games on her phone while her baby drowned tearfully told a court how she found him lifeless in the bath after she left him alone.
Danielle Massey, 31, an habitual cannabis user and ‘avid gamer’, is said by the prosecution to have been fatally ‘distracted’ from her parental bathtime duties while playing a video game for 26 minutes. Both mother and baby were under the supervision of social services at the time.
She has admitted the manslaughter of her seven-month-old son Charlie Goodall in February 2022 but told a judge she left the bathroom to get Charlie a towel, suffered an asthma attack and could have fallen asleep on the sofa as she recovered her breath.
Massey admitted she has previously had other children taken from her care after leaving them unattended.
Both Massey and Charlie had been under the close supervision of social services, but six days before the baby’s death a decision was made for the ‘care plan to end’ as there were no ongoing issues, Teesside Crown Court was told.
Massey has also admitted cannabis possession and will be sentenced over the death of baby Charlie by Mr Justice Goss.
However, a trial of issue has been taking place for the judge to decide the correct facts of the case – which are contested – before passing sentence.
Prosecutor Richard Wright, KC, said Charlie had been on the child protection register over concerns for his welfare.
He said Massey admitted smoking cannabis several hours before the baby’s death but denied it had resulted in her falling asleep on the sofa.
The Crown has rejected Massey’s basis of plea, putting her gross negligence down to using an unsuitable and brand new bath seat.
He said: ‘The prosecution case is that defendant left her child unattended for a long period of time, so that he fell out of his unsafe bath seat and drowned which would not have happened if he had been properly supervised as he should have been at the time.’
Analysis of Massey’s phone showed she was using the game ‘Cooking Madness’ during the crucial bath period, said Mr Wright. Massey insisted the phone was unlocked and the game playing in the background while she dealt with her son.
Today Massey struggled to hold back tears as she gave evidence about Charlie’s death at home in Chilton, Co Durham.
Massey, a single mother who worked for a pizza shop, said she gave Charlie a bath at 1.40pm because he was dirty.
She said she used a new bath seat for the first time and set it up after reading the instructions – that included ‘always keep baby within arm's reach and never leave baby unattended.’
Massey said she left Charlie alone in the bath to get a towel, but initially couldn’t find a clean one. She said she ‘ran upstairs and ‘could hear Charlie playing in the bath’.