A dad has admitted neglecting his 19-month-old girl while watching TV and playing games during an “all-nighter” just days before Christmas.
Little Kiera Conroy’s lifeless body was found in her cot as her parents prepared to go out with her after sleeping until 3:00pm, leaving her alone in another room.
Kiera’s sudden death in December 2017 was initially treated as unexplained.
Dad Michael Conroy pleaded guilty at Airdrie Sheriff Court to “wilfully causing or procuring her to be ill-treated, neglected and exposed in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering or injury to health”, GlasgowLive reports.
Her mum Kirsty Boyle had faced the same charge, but her not guilty plea was accepted by the court.
The charge stated that in the three days before she died Conroy, of Coatbridge, “failed to provide Kiera with adequate nourishment and fluids, left her alone and unattended for excessive periods of time and failed to provide suitable living conditions”.
He also admitted causing his daughter to be exposed to street valium pills.
Tablets were found within Kiera’s travel cot though there was no suggestion that she had taken any.
Boyle discovered her daughter’s lifeless body around 5:00pm on December 20.
The couple had been getting ready to go out to her dad’s house.
Boyle said she and Conroy had been up until 6.30 am, watching a box set on TV and playing games on their phones.
She told police: “We were both shattered. We did an all-nighter. It’s a bad habit.”
The couple fell asleep on the couch and didn’t wake until 3:00pm.
Boyle said she didn’t hear Kiera at that point and “assumed she was asleep”.
Conroy claimed he had given his daughter milk when she woke up during the night and early morning, but Lauren Cole, prosecuting, said police found no food or formula milk in the flat.
Conroy said Kiera “wasn’t too fond of milk and only took it to get to sleep”.
Boyle called 999 after finding Kiera “very white, with sick about her mouth”.
Paramedics arrived to find Conroy performing CPR, but nothing could be done to save the child.
The couple was said to be “extremely distressed”.
Ms Cole told the court: “A police officer who attended said both Conroy and Boyle looked tired and worn out.
“The flat was in an extreme state of untidiness with dirty nappies and rubbish lying around as well as dirty clothes.
“There was an upturned sofa in the living room and the central heating was switched off.”
Defence agent Paul Belardo said social workers have been “heavily involved” with Conroy and Boyle.
Sheriff Fergus Thomson deferred sentence until November for a criminal justice social work report and an electronic tagging assessment.
Conroy had his bail continued.