Couple cleared of poisoning toddler

A Birmingham couple have been cleared of poisoning a child by giving him an overdose of salt.

Ian and Angela Gay, had been looking after three-year-old Christian Blewitt - whom they were planning to adopt, at their home in Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, when he collapsed.

Christian, who was in the fifth week of a 13-week trial adoption, spent four days in intensive care and eventually died at Birmingham Children's Hospital from a sodium overdose.

The couple were tried for a second time after the Court of Appeal quashed their original conviction, during which they were accused of force-feeding him up to six teaspoons of salt as punishment for being naughty. However, Mr Gay denied this saying that they had put the child to bed after he had misbehaved.

They later found him in a comatose state in his bedroom and brought him to hospital.

During today's Crown Court hearing, the jury cleared the couple of manslaughter and a second charge of cruelty.

In 2005, the couple were cleared of murdering the child, however were found guilty of his manslaughter.

Speaking earlier at the Court of Appeal, a consultant chemical pathologist told the court that the toddler may have suffered from a rare condition know as a "reset osmostat", which causes the body to retain sodium, which could have explained the high levels of sodium in his body.

(EF/SP)