Father calls for industry changes after baby dies during ‘hands-free’ breastfeeding
The father of a seven-week-old boy who died after being breastfed in a baby carrier is calling for increased safety standards around baby slings.
James Alderman, who was known as Jimmy, was being breastfed “hands-free” within a baby carrier worn by his mother while she moved around their home.
Jimmy’s father, George Alderman, told Sky News: “Baby slings are sold as being a lifesaver, allowing you to get on with your business while your baby’s safe and close to you, but in this instance, we had our baby close, but not safe.”
The inquest into his death heard Jimmy was in an unsafe position too far down the sling.
Mr Alderman said that while much of the available advice around slings focused on them not being too tight, few people were aware of the danger of the sling not being tight enough, and so allowing the baby to slump.
Explaining what medical experts think happened to Jimmy, he said: “After he’d been feeding, he fell asleep and then he slumped forwards. Then, because his head was covered and he had his chin against his chest, he was facing downwards.
“Nothing was covering his face, but because of the position he was in, that meant that not enough oxygen was going into his lungs because he was small and not fully developed, and that’s why he stopped breathing.”
Resuscitation was started straight away, but Jimmy died three days later on 11 October 2023.
Mr Alderman said that while many brands of baby carriers said they were safe for breastfeeding, the lack of advice around how to safely do it meant that parents were “left to work it out by themselves”.
He said that during Jimmy’s inquest, it also became clear that there was no mandatory safety standard for baby carriers.
‘How can a bag of sand represent a baby?’
While items such as baby car seats are heavily regulated in the UK, the standards are voluntary around slings and carriers, meaning companies can perform different tests in different ways.
Mr Alderman said: “Some use weighted dolls, some use bags of sand. How a bag of sand can accurately represent a baby, I just don’t know.”
He said while there was currently a European working group looking at setting up a standardised mandatory test for baby carriers (including the UK) it could take three years or more to complete.
Mr Alderman said he was aware of at least two other cases in the UK and Ireland linked to slings where young infants had died.
Advice completely absent or ‘unhelpful’
At Jimmy’s inquest, senior coroner for west London, Lydia Brown, said there was insufficient information to inform parents of the safe positioning of young babies within carriers, particularly in relation to breastfeeding.
In her report, she criticised the lack of information on the risk of a baby “slumping”, and failure to advise that breastfeeding an infant under four months “hands-free” was unsafe due to risk of suffocation.
She also criticised the total lack of guidance from the NHS and said the “tips” provided on the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) website were “unhelpful”.
She concluded that “action should be taken to prevent future deaths”.
Copies of the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report were sent to the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care.
‘Positive change from something so awful’
Mr Alderman said that while questioning “Why has this happened to us?”, the family were keen to do what they could to stop other families going through the same experience.
Mr Alderman said: “If we can’t do something to stop it happening, to make sure there is a positive change and, if needs be, for the government to step in and make sure there’s a mandatory test for all of these things, then that is something that can come from something that’s been so awful.”
He said fundraising for Jimmy’s Cuddle, a charity they set up to support charitable causes in Jimmy’s memory, was a good way to not only raise funds, but also raise awareness and share memories.
He said: “Jimmy only had seven weeks with us and we want to keep his memory going for longer than that, and give him some sort of life that he never got.”
Mr Alderman and his wife Ellie are expecting their third child in early February. The couple also have a three-year-old son called Arthur.
Anyone dealing with the loss of a baby can call the Lullaby Trust on 0808 802 6868 or email support@lullabytrust.org.uk
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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Putin’s Victory Day parade explained
The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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