Latest news with #QEQMHospital
The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
Father who shook baby to death ‘played games' as his baby was rushed to hospital
A father is facing a prison sentence after being found guilty of murdering his baby daughter, who suffered "catastrophic" brain injuries from severe shaking. Thomas Holford, 25, was convicted of the murder of Everleigh Stroud, who tragically died at the age of one. The court heard she sustained "excessive and severe" brain and bone injuries when she was just five weeks old. Everleigh was rushed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent, on the morning of April 21, 2021, after her grandmother reported she was "only just" breathing. While his baby was rushed to hospital, Holford showed 'little emotion' and continued to download and play games on his phone, jurors heard. He later lied to police about his cannabis use to disguise the fact that he had been smoking the night before when he was looking after Everleigh alone. While giving evidence, Holford told jurors he had at least five joints on April 20 2021, before being left in charge of Everleigh that evening. On that day, he was smoking more than usual because it was '420' which he agreed was a 'big day for cannabis smokers', the court heard. On Thursday, Holford, of Ramsgate, was found unanimously guilty of murder and actual bodily harm of his daughter by a Canterbury Crown Court jury. Along with brain injuries that left her in a vegetative state, she also had bone fractures, bruising to her face, atrophy to her eyes leading to her going blind and injuries to her anus having spent the night before in her father's care, the court heard. Everleigh, who was born on March 13 2021, spent more than a year in a vegetative state before she died at 14 months on May 27 2022. Prosecuting, Eloise Marshall KC said: 'On the night of April 20 into the early morning of April 21 2021, when Everleigh was just over five weeks old, she suffered catastrophic injuries which caused substantial brain damage, and that resulted in her death just over a year later, 'There is no dispute as to how Everleigh came to suffer those injuries, they were inflicted by her father, Thomas Holford.' She added: 'It is the Crown's case that all those injuries were deliberately caused by Thomas Holford, they were what we call non-accidental, members of the jury.' When police arrived at his address in Wallwood Road, Ramsgate, where Holford, then 20, lived with his then 16-year-old girlfriend and her parents, they discovered a cannabis grinder and joint butts next to a milk bottle in his bedroom. Police attending the scene remarked that Holford appeared to be in a 'good mood' as he played games on his phone while his baby was rushed to hospital. 'While speaking with Pc Smith, Thomas Holford continued to show little emotion,' said Ms Marshall. He told police that he had not smoked cannabis since 10am the previous morning, which he has now accepted was a lie. Ms Marshall KC asked: 'When the police asked you what you'd smoked, you lied?' 'Yes,' Holford replied. Asked why, he added: 'I'm trying to project an image of something that is better than reality.' Text messages shown to jurors also suggest that he tried to buy weed from a contact known as 'Milo' because he knew he was looking after his daughter. He sent a text which read: 'Could you strap me anything, as I've got the little one on my own tonight. Going to be f****** stressful.' Holford also admitted he had 'manipulated' his girlfriend's family into taking care of his cannabis for him and allowing him to smoke it. While in the witness box, he often answered questions to the effect of being unsure or not remembering what had happened. 'When it suits you, you have a memory – and when it doesn't suit you, you pretend you don't have a memory,' said Ms Marshall. Holford, who admitted manslaughter of Everleigh last year, will be sentenced for murder and actual bodily harm on July 4.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- The Independent
Father guilty of murder for shaking baby and causing ‘catastrophic' injuries
A father who killed his baby daughter by shaking her so hard he caused 'catastrophic' brain injuries that led to her death is facing jail. Thomas Holford, 25, has been found guilty of murdering his daughter Everleigh Stroud, who died aged one after 'excessive and severe' shaking led to brain and bone injuries when she was just five weeks old. Everleigh was rushed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent, when her grandmother reported she was 'only just' breathing on the morning of April 21 2021. While his baby was rushed to hospital, Holford showed 'little emotion' and continued to download and play games on his phone, jurors heard. He later lied to police about his cannabis use to disguise the fact that he had been smoking the night before when he was looking after Everleigh alone. On Thursday, Holford, of Ramsgate, was found unanimously guilty of murder and actual bodily harm of his daughter by a Canterbury Crown Court jury. Along with brain injuries that left her in a vegetative state, she also had bone fractures, bruising to her face, atrophy to her eyes leading to her going blind and injuries to her anus having spent the night before in her father's care, the court heard. Everleigh, who was born on March 13 2021, spent more than a year in a vegetative state before she died at 14 months on May 27 2022. Prosecuting, Eloise Marshall KC said: 'On the night of April 20 into the early morning of April 21 2021, when Everleigh was just over five weeks old, she suffered catastrophic injuries which caused substantial brain damage, and that resulted in her death just over a year later, 'There is no dispute as to how Everleigh came to suffer those injuries, they were inflicted by her father, Thomas Holford.' She added: 'It is the Crown's case that all those injuries were deliberately caused by Thomas Holford, they were what we call non-accidental, members of the jury.' While giving evidence, Holford told jurors he had at least five joints on April 20 2021, before being left in charge of Everleigh that evening. On that day, he was smoking more than usual because it was '420' which he agreed was a 'big day for cannabis smokers', the court heard. When police arrived at his address in Wallwood Road, Ramsgate, where Holford, then 20, lived with his then 16-year-old girlfriend and her parents, they discovered a cannabis grinder and joint butts next to a milk bottle in his bedroom. Police attending the scene remarked that Holford appeared to be in a 'good mood' as he played games on his phone while his baby was rushed to hospital. 'While speaking with Pc Smith, Thomas Holford continued to show little emotion,' said Ms Marshall. He told police that he had not smoked cannabis since 10am the previous morning, which he has now accepted was a lie. Ms Marshall KC asked: 'When the police asked you what you'd smoked, you lied?' 'Yes,' Holford replied. Asked why, he added: 'I'm trying to project an image of something that is better than reality.' Text messages shown to jurors also suggest that he tried to buy weed from a contact known as 'Milo' because he knew he was looking after his daughter. He sent a text which read: 'Could you strap me anything, as I've got the little one on my own tonight. Going to be f****** stressful.' Holford also admitted he had 'manipulated' his girlfriend's family into taking care of his cannabis for him and allowing him to smoke it. While in the witness box, he often answered questions to the effect of being unsure or not remembering what had happened. 'When it suits you, you have a memory – and when it doesn't suit you, you pretend you don't have a memory,' said Ms Marshall. Holford, who admitted manslaughter of Everleigh last year, will be sentenced for murder and actual bodily harm on July 4.
The Independent
31-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Coroner has ‘no doubt' diagnosis could have prevented death of baby boy
A coroner has said there were 'missed opportunities' from 'many' medical visits which could have saved the life of a one-year-old boy. Archie Squire died from heart failure in the early hours of November 23 2023, after successive cardiac arrests, days after his first birthday. He was suffering from a rare heart defect in which the heart's lower half is reversed, which was never diagnosed despite at least 16 visits to medical staff in his 368 days of life. On Friday, the inquest at Kent and Medway Coroner's Court in Maidstone, heard that if Archie had been diagnosed earlier he would 'almost certainly not have died at the time he did'. Area coroner Sarah Clarke said: 'I have no doubt earlier recognition and diagnosis of a very rare heart condition would have made a difference to the outcome for Archie. 'There are many points in the chronology where there were missed opportunities to do something differently to make the diagnosis of Archie's condition more likely.' Archie's parents made repeated visits to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, and to St James' Surgery in Dover, with concerns about Archie's breathing and constipation which did not lead to long-term diagnoses. The coroner continued: 'He died as a direct result of heart failure with an underlying congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries – a rare condition that could have been diagnosed by an echocardiogram. 'Despite many presentations to medical personnel in the weeks and months leading up to his death, an echocardiogram was not undertaken.' His mother, Lauren Parrish, from Dover, recalled her son being labelled a 'mystery child' because doctors were not sure what was wrong with him. 'It felt like every time we sought medical help for his breathing he was diagnosed with some form of chest infection,' Ms Parrish said in a statement read by the coroner. Ms Clarke added that if a diagnosis had been found for Archie 'he would almost certainly not have died at the time that he did'. A report by paediatric cardiac surgeon Professor David Anderson noted an 'unacceptable' delay in Archie receiving an echocardiogram after being referred to QEQM by a GP on October 6. He wrote: 'If his diagnosis had been correctly made, he almost certainly would not have died when he did.' It added that 'the delay in obtaining an echo was unacceptable'. Last week, Ravindra Kumar, a paediatric registrar at QEQM responsible for Archie on the night he died, cried in court describing how his work has changed since Archie's death. Asked what he would do differently, Dr Kumar said: 'I regret talking about Archie's condition in front of the family to others, to my colleagues, I learned a big lesson to be more compassionate.' Medical records and Dr Kumar's witness statement suggest he did not see Archie between 9.30pm and 1am on the night he died, the inquest heard. Archie's godmother Nikki Escudier read a pen portrait of Archie to the court. She said: 'Archie Squire was a shining light. A little boy whose laughter, love and joy touched everyone lucky enough to know him. 'Born on November 20 2022, Archie brought happiness into the world from the very beginning. 'In just 368 precious days, he filled every moment with warmth, laughter and the kind of love that stays with you forever. 'His smile lit up the room and his presence left a lasting mark on every heart he touched.' The coroner commended Archie's family on their support for each other throughout the process, and has asked the East Kent Hospitals Trust to provide further evidence of their updated action plans and procedures since Archie's death. At the conclusion of the inquest, Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals, said: 'We offer our sincere condolences to Archie's family. We can only imagine the pain they have endured and we are truly sorry that we did not identify Archie's condition earlier. 'After meeting with Archie's family, we have made important changes to our service. These include one standard process for triage and booking of child referrals, and prioritising the assessment of children referred to us. We will examine further learnings identified through the inquest process. 'Staff across the trust now receive specialised training to improve how clinical concerns, diagnoses and plans are discussed with families in our care. The training for our children's health team specifically draws on lessons learned from Archie's death.'
The Independent
29-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
‘Unacceptable' delayed scan could have prevented baby's death, inquest hears
A surgeon has said there were 'unacceptable' delays in obtaining a scan that could have saved the life of a one-year-old boy. Archie Squire died from heart failure in the early hours of November 23 2023, after successive cardiac arrests, days after his first birthday. He was suffering from a rare, undiagnosed heart defect in which the heart's lower half is reversed, an inquest heard. On Thursday, paediatric cardiac surgeon Professor David Anderson was called to give independent medical evidence at Kent and Medway Coroner's Court in Maidstone. He told the court the delay after Archie was referred for an echocardiogram by a GP on October 6 was 'just too long'. The referral to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, did not result in an echo scan taking place before Archie died. Prof Anderson, who holds honorary consultant positions in several countries, said: 'If I showed this audience an echo of a heart pumping normally and an echo of a heart not pumping normally, it is absolutely barn-door obvious. 'An echo in advance of his final admission would have enabled the management to be appropriate for his situation.' While the scan would not guarantee an immediate diagnosis, it would have shown 'poor function' of Archie's heart, the inquest heard. A report prepared by Prof Anderson said: 'If his diagnosis had been correctly made, he almost certainly would not have died when he did.' It added that 'the delay in obtaining an echo was unacceptable'. He told the coroner: 'I would hope that it would have prevented him from collapsing into the situation from which he could not be resuscitated. 'We would not have been advising his family that he would have lived a long and happy life and he would have died at an old age, we would have been very, very guarded with our prognosis.' Archie is thought to have suffered from undiagnosed congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA), which has been referenced in his medical cause of death, the inquest heard. Most practitioners will go through their entire working lives without seeing or having to treat CCTGA, Prof Anderson said. 'It's very rare indeed,' he added. Archie did not receive an echocardiogram during the month and a half after being referred by a GP to QEQM, or during his final hospital admission. Prof Anderson said: 'If he had an echo on November 21, which I'm certain would have shown very poor function and I suspect such severe poor function that he would have been referred to Evelina (London Children's Hospital). 'I can only imagine that the function was really pretty awful by this stage and not something that a local hospital would take on to manage.' It is unusual for someone with CCTGA to go into cardiac failure so early in their life, the inquest heard. According to the Adult Congenital Heart Association, just 0.5-1% of babies born with heart defects have CCTGA. The inquest is expected to conclude on Friday.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Doctor tells inquest he learned ‘to be more compassionate' since baby's death
A doctor who cared for a one-year-old baby on the night he died of a rare heart condition treated his parents like they 'did not exist', an inquest heard. Archie Squire died from heart failure in the early hours of November 23 2023 after successive cardiac arrests just days after his first birthday. His parents made repeated visits to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, with concerns about Archie's breathing and constipation, which did not lead to a long-term diagnosis. On Wednesday, Doctor Ravindra Kumar, a paediatric registrar at QEQM responsible for Archie on the night he died, broke down in tears in court describing how his work has changed since Archie's death. Asked what he would do differently, Dr Kumar said: 'I regret talking about Archie's condition in front of the family to others, to my colleagues, I learned a big lesson to be more compassionate.' Wiping tears from his eyes, he told the court: 'We discussed the child's condition in a manner as if parents did not exist in the room.' Medical records and Dr Kumar's witness statement suggest he did not see Archie between 9.30pm and 1am on the night he died, the inquest heard. On Wednesday at Kent and Medway Coroners Court in Maidstone, the doctor said that this was incorrect. 'I do not recall that I only saw this very sick child only at 9pm to 1am, this is wrong,' said Dr Kumar. He told Emily Raynor, counsel on behalf of the family, that he could not recall why he had not recorded visits to Archie between those hours. 'It isn't in your witness statement and it isn't in your medical records,' said Ms Raynor. Dr Kumar replied: 'I have clear recollection that I examined the child.' Photos and videos of Archie taken by his family from the night in hospital leading up to his death were shown in court to demonstrate his condition. Dr Kumar told the court that these 'snapshots' did not show whether his condition was deteriorating. He said: 'Giving a snapshot of a child does not give justice to clinical management, what we are seeing are snapshots. 'I can't decide on that snapshot of video whether he was sleepy or unwell. It's not fair to comment on the clinical picture.' He admitted that his case writing could have been more methodical, but said that he had followed proper procedure for Archie's care. 'You cannot judge a child's condition by looking at photographs, you have to look at the whole picture.' said Dr Kumar. The inquest continues.
