Baby boy was ‘uncovered to monkey mud’ earlier than dying, inquest hears

A ‘neglected’ baby died in a squalid home aged just seven weeks after being exposed to the psychoactive drug ‘monkey dust’, an inquest heard yesterday.

Ronnie Higginson had been struggling to breathe and was off his food but his parents Kayleigh Clarke, 32, and Michael Higginson, 52, failed to get medical help.

The baby then went into cardiac arrest at his family home in the Cobridge area of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and was pronounced dead on November 26, 2019.

His parents were convicted of child cruelty in October 2022 – with Clarke jailed for 27 months and Higginson given a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years.

The family was already known to social services – with Clarke having concealed her pregnancy. Ronnie born prematurely just weeks after she revealed her condition to her social worker. 

While Ronnie’s cause of death has never been confirmed, toxicology tests revealed psychoactive substances in his blood and urine. 

Ronnie’s mother Kayleigh Clarke, 32, was imprisoned after being convicted of child cruelty

Now, an inquest into his death in Stoke has heard from a Helen Hawkins, an agency social worker who visited the family home in the weeks before Ronnie died.

She said: ‘The first time I met the family and visited the home I was quite taken aback by how the conditions were. There were no carpets on the floor and no bedding.

‘There was a potty that looked like it had vomit in. At that time Kayleigh disclosed she was 30 weeks pregnant and went for a private scan.

‘She had concealed a number of pregnancies. I have been a child protection worker for 16 years and the condition the children were living in was one of the worst I have ever seen.’

Ms Hawkins – who was an agency social worker at Stoke-on-Trent City Council from July to October 2019 – also said there was a ‘really strong’ cannabis smell during another visit.

She added: ‘I remember Michael being very argumentative at the time and Kayleigh presented as extremely vulnerable.’

Ronnie’s father Michael Higginson was given a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years

Ms Hawkins said she told senior members of the social care team about her concerns, telling the inquest that the situation ‘should have gone to legal advice’.

But Ms Hawkins claimed management believed that the family should get the chance to engage and a child protection conference would take place.

Ms Hawkins completed her report on the conference and gave it to Higginson around the time Clarke was at the hospital giving birth. She left the authority days later.

Detective Inspector Gina Pope of Staffordshire Police told the inquest: ‘The drugs were of the same type as found on Michael Higginson at the time of his arrest in January 2020. After an examination it was concluded (Ronnie) would have been exposed to alpha-PHP and MDPEP – commonly known as monkey dust.

‘Exposure to monkey dust would have increased the risk of cot death. It was clear he had some sort of respiratory tract infection – histology of his lungs showed evidence of acute inflammation.

‘Both (Clarke and Higginson) admitted that they were regular drug users, but at no point had they given any of their children drugs. But they were present, not necessarily in the same room.’

The inquest continues.