Arrest warrants have been issued for a man and a woman facing charges after the death of a baby. Stephen Angell and Laura Stevenson failed to turn up at court for a pre-trial hearing today.
It's alleged they wilfully neglected Stephen Angell junior who died aged three months in November 2018. The indictment states that Angell and Stevenson failed to provide the baby with adequate food, care and nutrition at addresses in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.
They also allegedly failed to maintain proper hygiene, failed to provide suitable sleeping arrangements and exposed the infant to the risk of ingesting drugs. Stevenson, 45, is further accused of abandoning baby Stephen and leaving him in the care of a disabled woman, Alison Meharry, who was unable to provide suitable care for him.
The charge states that Ms Meharry has since died. Prosecutors further allege that Stevenson consumed alcohol or another substance to such an extent that she was in an unfit state to care for the baby.
She and Angell, 43, both of East Kilbride, were due to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court. Defence agents Andy Thomson and Gerry McGuire were unable to explain their absence and Sheriff Thomas Millar granted warrants for their arrest.
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