Mum of asthmatic boy, 7, who died 'gasping for air' in garden guilty of manslaughter

A drug addict mum has been convicted of manslaughter after her seven-year-old son was found dead in the garden. Hakeem Hussain was found in freezing conditions in the garden in November 2017 and could not be saved by paramedics.

Laura Heath, his mum, from Birmingham, smoked heroin the previous night and was asleep when Hakeem suffered a fatal asthma attack, The Mirror reports. Heath denied manslaughter at Coventry Crown Court, but had admitted four counts of child cruelty including failing to provide proper medical supervision and exposing Hakeem to class A drugs.

Hakeem's cause of death was recorded as asthma attack. The prosecution suggested to the court that he had escaped the smoke-filled house in order to get some fresh air. He died 'gasping for air' in the garden, they said.

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A jury today found Heath, 40, guilty of gross negligence manslaughter. She declined to give any evidence.

Jurors spent seven-and-a-half hours deliberating before returning their unanimous guilty verdicts. The court heard how Heath would "source heroin and crack cocaine” as her “first priority in life" ahead of the welfare of her young son.

The chilling 999 call made by Heath after she found Hakeem was played to the court during the trial. "He’s dead... my son… he’s took himself outside when we’re asleep because he’s got asthma… and he’s fell asleep… he’s dead," she can be heard saying.

"He's gone... he's blue and he's stiff. There's no saving him. He's gone. He's my baby... he's my baby."

Heath told police after her arrest that Hakeem would regularly go outside for fresh air if he was struggling with his breathing. "I had a funny feeling he