Mother calls for ban on window blinds after 17-month-old twin daughter is strangled in her cot

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 08:58 EDT, 10 November 2010

• Twin baby's death 'should act as warning to millions of unsuspecting families'

A twin baby girl has been strangled to death in her cot after becaming entangled in a cord from a window blind.

Leah Edwards was sleeping beside her 17-month-old brother at the family home in Maldon, Essex, when the tragedy happened last month.

The youngster was discovered by her seven-year-old brother, Christian.

Strangled to death: Leah Edwards, aged 17 months, became tangled as she lay in her cot

Devastated mother Joy Edwards is now calling for Britain to join America, Canada and Australia in banning blinds with looped cords.

Millions of unsuspecting families have them in their homes.

Mrs Edwards, 35, said: 'We put [Leah] to bed the night before and she first woke at about 5.30am.

'I gave her and her twin brother their bottles, put on their music and then normally they'd go back to sleep.

'For them not to be awake in the morning wasn't unusual so we didn't think anything of it. But then Christian came in and said Leah had something around her neck.

'I bolted out of bed, lifted her up, listened to see if she was breathing and shouted at my husband to call 999.'

She and husband Andrew, 47, battled to resuscitate Leah before paramedics arrived.

The were taken by police to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, but Leah was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival on Sunday, October 10.

Police investigators went to the house and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

'It's been devastating,' said Mrs Edwards. 'I keep going over the "what ifs" in my head.

'What if I'd got up earlier? What if we'd never had blinds with cords? 0For the first week I just couldn't sleep.

Dangerous: Blinds with looped cords are already banned America, Canada and Australia, but millions of people in Britain have them fitted in their homes

Enlarge  

The British Blind and Shutter Association have produced an information leaflet to help homeowners make their blinds safe

'Leah was a very placid girl, [she] was so alert and intelligent. She would sit and take everything in. She had a gorgeous little smile. She was my little dolly.'

Mrs Edwards believes that no one should be allowed blinds in their house and said: 'Apparently in America they are banned so hopefully that is something that will happen here too.

'We did tie [the blinds] up, but not all the time. I 'd just urge people to make sure they tie them up and to always be wary.'

Joy says the children have been deeply affected. 'It's affecting Christian more now,' the 35-year-old said.

'Emily's quiet, but she'll talk about Leah, whereas Christian can't. It's hard to know with Lewis, but he goes into little trances. 

'We're just trying to keep their normal routine going. We've made a little memory box so that they can look back and remember their sister.' 

Harrison Joyce died after becoming entangled in a window blind cord

In May, Andrew Haigh, a coroner for South Staffordshire, urged the Government to look again at existing safety regulations after two two toddlers strangled themselves within five days of each other.

Harrison Joyce, three, and Lillian Bagnall-Lambe, 16 months, both from Staffordshire, died in separate incidents after becoming tangled in the cords in February this year.

'The frequency of deaths of this kind is more of a problem than we would anticipate or expect,' Mr Haigh, who also presided over an inquest into a child killed by a blind cord in 2004, said.

'Is there any way to more strictly enforce the existing British standard as to what should happen with blind cords?

'If not, the next step is to ban looped blind cords completely. 'I feel very sorry for both sets of parents in these cases and in the similar previous case as well.

'They were in perfectly pleasant homes with responsible mothers and this risk just was not envisaged at all. The children were left in circumstances that appeared to be safe.'