Jasmine Gregory jailed for baby's bath death Published duration 11 November 2016

image caption Gregory said she became distracted while giving the 14 month old a bath

A mother whose baby died after being left alone in the bath for 10 minutes has been jailed for three years.

Jasmine Gregory, of Ulfgar Road, Oxford, had been drinking on the morning her 14-month-old daughter Robyn died in August 2014.

Gregory, 24, said she became distracted while giving Robyn a bath at their home in Grove, Oxford Crown Court heard.

Judge Ian Pringle described it as a "tragic and wholly avoidable event" and "so wholly wrong and atrocious".

The court heard the child drowned and that Gregory found her lifeless body.

Robyn's father said in a victim impact statement "every day is torture" since his daughter died.

Gregory, who was convicted of manslaughter by a jury in just over four hours on Wednesday, made the sign of the cross before being sentenced and was seen crying in the courtroom.

'Just outcome'

The judge said he did not underestimate the loss she felt but said she acknowledged she "led a chaotic lifestyle".

"You should have known if you bathe a child in an adult bath you never leave it unattended," he said.

Det Con Andy Matheson, of Thames Valley Police, said: "This has been a tragic case from the start.

"A young mother has lost her young baby and the extended family have lost the future they would have had with the child."

Senior crown prosecutor Kirsty Allman said the result was a "just outcome".

She said: "This was not merely a terrible accident. Gregory was clearly negligent in leaving Robyn unattended in the bath."

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