A CORONER has warned mothers about the dangers of sleeping with their babies after the death of an eight-week-old York boy.

An inquest yesterday into the death of Joel Spencer Nicholas heard how he was put to bed beside his mother, Alison Peace, on the sofa at their home in Almsford Road, Acomb, on October 25 last year.

The inquest, at New Earswick Folk Hall, heard from PC Fiona Dack, a family liaison officer for North Yorkshire Police.

PC Dack described how Miss Peace - a mother of four, including Joel - had been drinking at the house with a friend and had five cans of Fosters and described herself as "a bit tipsy, but not drunk".

After her friend went home, Miss Peace gave Joel his last feed before midnight and settled him down to sleep at the back of the couch while she watched television before going to sleep at the front of the sofa.

At about 8am the next morning, Miss Peace woke and picked up Joel, but he was not breathing so she ran with him to a neighbour to get help.

Miss Peace was not at the inquest, but as part of her police statement read out by PC Dack she said: "I just knew he wasn't alive. I have always slept with my children and Joel, and everything has been OK.

"I wasn't aware I'd rolled on top of him, but I must have.

"I know you are not supposed to do it, but I have always slept with them."

Pathologist Professor Christopher Millroy, who carried out the post mortem examination, said although Joel was born at 36 weeks he was a healthy baby.

Prof Millroy said Joel could have died from sudden infant death syndrome because he was sleeping with his mother on the couch and could have got in to some difficulty breathing.

He said that because there were no pinhead-size haemorrhages in Joel's eyes - the tell-tale signs of suffocation - it was impossible to tell for sure that this caused his death. He said the cause of his death was "unascertained".

Coroner Donald Coverdale said: "One can perhaps note some lessons from instances such as this.

"It would seem that a young child sleeping with an adult on a settee is not advisable. It can lead to difficulties for the child and it can lead to them overheating or the adult rolling on to them, which can lead to asphyxia."

An open verdict was recorded.

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, August 05, 2004