A couple whose two-month-old baby died after they indulged in a prosecco and cocaine party have been sentenced for child neglect.
Jerri Elizabeth Balzanelli, 38, and Christopher Green, 47, faced criminal charges after the death of their daughter Stevie-Anne at their Croydon flat in April 2022.
Croydon crown court heard the couple spent the previous evening drinking and taking drugs, while Stevie-Anne and their other two children were asleep.
The next morning, Stevie-Anne was fed by Balzanelli at around 11am, but was found dead in bed in the afternoon next to her sleeping mother.
The baby girl had traces of cocaine and cannabis in her system, the court heard.
On Friday, Mr Justice Bryan sentenced the couple to community orders after they pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The judge made it clear in his remarks that they have not been convicted of being responsible for their child’s death, with the cause being assessed by experts as “unexplained”.
“It was a very serious lapse of judgement in relation to co-sleeping after alcohol and cocaine had been consumed which increased the risk of smothering and of sudden infant death”, said the judge.
“It was a very hazardous practice, as both Ms Balzanelli and Mr Green should have recognised, and no doubt would have recognised had they not consumed alcohol and cocaine and been tired as a result.”
The court heard Green had snorted at least two lines of cocaine, while Balzanelli had at least one.
Police found a half-drunk bottle of prosecco on the bedside table in the room where Stevie-Anne died, there was a baby’s milk bottle on the floor, and a strong smell of cannabis in the air.
“Ms Balzanelli and Mr Green were intermittent users of drugs taken in social situations”, said the judge.
The court heard Stevie-Anne was fed a bottle of milk at around 11pm, and then put to sleep as the couple and Green’s cousin socialised in the living room.
The baby woke for a feed the next morning, and then Balzanelli went back to sleep with Stevie-Anne either on her chest or next to her.
At around 3.20pm, Green – who had been sleeping in a room next door – went in to see his partner and baby, and made a “terrible discovery”.
“As he entered the bedroom he saw Ms Balzanelli lying on her side in the foetal position but there was no sign of Stevie-Anne”, set out the judge.
“He pulled back the duvet off of Ms Balzanelli and he saw Stevie-Anne behind Ms Balzanelli facing Ms Balzanelli’s back. “He described Stevie-Anne’s face looking squashed against Ms Balzanelli and Stevie-Anne’s arms positioned as if she was cuddling Ms Balzanelli. Her skin looked blue.”
The couple and Green’s cousin, a former paramedic, made efforts to resuscitate Stevie-Anne, but she was declared dead at hospital at just after 4.30pm.
Police seized a bag of cannabis from the bedroom, Balzanelli’s breath smelled of alcohol when she spoke to an officer, and she later said they had drunk two or three bottles of prosecco the night before.
Sentencing the case, the judge ruled that Balzanelli and Green had responsibility for Stevie-Anne while drinking and taking cocaine, and they had jointly exposed their daughter to an “unsafe sleeping environment”.
“The toxicology indicates at least an exposure of Stevie-Anne to cocaine and cannabis at some time in her short life”, added the judge, noting that the traces could have come from direct ingestion, contact with contaminated surfaces, or through sweat or saliva from contact with one or his parents.
The court heard the couple’s relationship broke down in December last year, and Green is now banned from contacting Balzanelli under the terms of a court order.
Balzanelli told the court she has been “hating” herself for what happened to Stevie-Anne, and has suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts.
“She acknowledges that she should have never consumed alcohol or taken cocaine the night before and wishes that she could go back in time”, said the judge.
Green expressed “immense remorse”, said the judge, adding that the “guilt will be with him for the rest of his life”.
The couple were both handed community orders set to last 18 months.
Balzanelli was ordered to attend mental health treatment sessions, rehabilitation activity days, and complete 100 hours of community service.
Green was ordered into alcohol treatment, rehabilitation, and to complete 80 hours of community service.
