Woman jailed after her son drowned in the bath

A woman whose baby died after she left him in the bath alone for up to 26 minutes while she played a game on her phone has been jailed.

Danielle Massey pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this year following the death of seven-month-old Charlie Goodall at their home in February 2022.

The 31-year-old also pleaded guilty to the possession of cannabis.

At Teesside Crown Court today she was sentenced to seven years in prison.

On the afternoon of February 16, 2022, police were alerted by paramedics to a house in Chilton, County Durham, where Charlie was found unresponsive in the bath.

He was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle, but sadly died shortly after arrival.

At Teesside Crown Court this week, a trial of issue, otherwise known as a Newton Hearing, was held as although Massey admitted manslaughter, she disputed that she had been using her phone at the time.

The court heard how Massey had put Charlie into a bath seat in the bath after soiling his nappy shortly after his lunch.

Massey had opened a game app on her phone at 1.40pm that day, around the same time Charlie was in the bath, and enquiries showed it was active until she called for an ambulance at 2.06pm.

When she returned to the bathroom, she found Charlie was no longer in the seat and was unresponsive in the water.

At the time Massey, of Chilton, said she had left the bathroom for a bottle.

But at court this week she said after looking for a towel she started to have an asthma attack, sat down to control it and may have fallen asleep.

Judge Goss rejected her Massey’s account upon hearing the evidence during the hearing and concluded she had been on her phone.

Experts say the bath seat could never have been properly secured with the suction pads as it was unsuitable for the type of bath in the house.

She also admitted to officers that she had taken cannabis earlier that day.

A statement from Charlie’s Dad and family issued after sentencing said: “Charlie was a happy go lucky little boy, whose cheeky smile could brighten up any room.

“But now he has gone forever.

“We will never see him take his first steps, say Daddy or be able to drop him off for his first day at school.

“Our hearts are broken. You think it will never happen to you but for us this nightmare is now our reality.

“Charlie was so loved by us all, and we miss him every day.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in this case, there are too many people to mention but we appreciate everything you have all done for our family.”

Detective Superintendent Andy Crowe, of Durham Constabulary, led the investigation.

He said: “Firstly, my thoughts go out to Charlie’s Dad Will and his family.”

“Charlie was a happy little boy, and he was seven months old when his life was cut short.

“To him, the bath was fun, a chance to splash around - he did not know the dangers.

“Charlie should never have been left alone in the water.”

“Bath seats are not a safety device and as such babies and young children should not be left unsupervised in the bath.”

“Danielle Massey will have to live with the consequences of her actions that day”

“We hope that today’s sentence provides some closure for Will and his family.