Bereaved mother calls for charges

Jake died after being given the wrong injection

The mother of a child who died after being injected with the wrong drug at Alder Hey hospital has called for the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue criminal charges.

On Friday, an inquest jury returned a verdict that 18-month old Jake McGeough was unlawfully killed at the children's hospital in 2001.

Jake, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was injected by a nurse with a powerful muscle relaxant instead of a sedative when he became agitated.

Jake's mother Keira told a Sunday newspaper she could not forgive the nurse who made the error.

Both the police and the CPS said the original decision not to prosecute was being re-examined in the light of the inquest verdict.

'No apology'

"I've been deprived of a son and Jake's been deprived of life - all because of a needless error," Mrs McGeough told the News of the World.

"To this day we've received no word of apology from Alder Hey. All we've had is a leaflet about coping with the death of a loved one.

"My chance of seeing my cheeky, smiling baby grow to be a man has been stolen."

After in inquest, the Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust, which runs Alder Hey, released a statement offering condolences to Jake's family.

'Lessons learned'

The statement added the staff were "deeply shocked and upset" by the tragedy.

"In light of the verdict, the trust will now be taking further advice and reflecting on the implication of the court's decision," it added.

"The events leading up to and surrounding the incident have been thoroughly investigated by the trust and lessons have been learnt."

At the hearing, the coroner insisted the verdict did not mean that the jury was apportioning criminal or civil responsibility for the baby's death.

Injection mistake

The inquest was told Jake had been taken to the hospital in July 2001, suffering from a chest infection.

He was injected with the drug by Alder Hey nurse Rose Aru, who was not authorised to administer it, the inquest heard.

Ms Aru - who was with nurse Lynne Maguire - made the mistake when Jake became agitated during a routine scan of his lungs.

Despite the fact she immediately called the emergency crash team when she realised her mistake, Jake died two days later after suffering heart failure.

Merseyside Police said on Friday they would review the evidence in the case in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, before any decisions was made about possible criminal proceedings.