Craig Williams, who designed cot in which Oscar Abbey died, is jailed

Leeds Crown Court heard how the lifeless body of Oscar Abbey, from Tang Hall, who had got his head stuck while trying to crawl through a gap in the bed, was found by his parents in November 2016.

Prosecutors said that Craig Williams, the owner of the Playtime Beds Ltd company which sold them the cot, had given reassurances that it was suitable for children aged six or seven months.

A judge heard how the 37-year-old, of Park View Road, Kimberworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, had continued to make beds even after Oscar's death, and did not modify his designs.

Prosecutor John Elvidge QC said the defendant demonstrated "an utterly indifferent attitude towards the safety of small children, even after he had been visited by police in relation to Oscar's death".

Williams, a father of three, had been on trial for manslaughter by gross negligence, but a jury was asked to return a not guilty verdict on this count after he admitted on Wednesday to failing to discharge an employer's general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Having also pleaded guilty to a count of fraud, he wiped away a tear as he was jailed on Friday.

Judge Martin Spencer, sentencing, told Williams that he had a "significant responsibility" for Oscar's death, adding: "You should bear the brunt of that responsibility for the rest of your life."

He added that the defendant had shown a "fragrant disregard" for British safety standards and committed a "wicked fraud" by continuing to sell beds following the boy's death.

Williams's employee, Joseph Bruce, 31, of Kimberworth Park Road, Rotherham, was jailed for six months after admitting a single count of fraud.

During the trial, jurors heard a statement from Oscar's father, Charlie Abbey, 24, in which he described the moment he discovered his son's body.

He said: "I instantly realised he'd gone.

"It looked like he'd tried to crawl out backwards but his head was stuck."

In her own statement, the boy's mother, Shannon Abbey, 23, said: "I heard Charlie shouting and screaming: 'He's not breathing.'

"I ran to the landing and Charlie was holding Oscar in both arms."

Detective Superintendent Nigel Costello said the case had been difficult for police to investigate, and for the family of Oscar Abbey.

He said: "They have been through a harrowing experience – the initial shock and devastation of the loss of their baby in 2016, a detailed police investigation and nearly two years on, having to relive each minute again during a court case. Our hearts go out to them and while we realise that this result can never take away the pain of losing Oscar, we hope that in some small way the sentences given today allows them to move on into happier times.

“The actions of Williams and Bruce were deplorable. The death of Oscar was preventable. As the investigation developed and unfolded, we found that Williams and Bruce were solely motivated by money and were willing to sacrifice children’s safety in the pursuit of it.

“Having been made aware of Oscar’s death and despite being directed by Trading Standards to stop trading, it is completely unbelievable that Williams and Bruce continued to sell these dangerous beds to other families and their actions shows them to be the selfish and callous individuals they are.  It is only by good fortune that no other children have suffered serious injury. How they slept in their own beds at night, knowing they were risking the lives of those most vulnerable to line their own pockets, is beyond comprehension."  

Det Supt Costello praised Oscar's family, who he said had "acted with the upmost dignity" throughout the trial.

He said: "They have shown a great deal of patience, resilience and pragmatism, not just during the trial but over the last two years.  

“The family received some unfounded, unwarranted and unjust comments on social media following the death of their son. All they have wanted from the outset was for Williams to take responsibility for his actions and this week, when he entered into his guilty plea, shows that he now accepts he was responsible for supplying a dangerous bed that unfortunately had catastrophic consequences.  The family then needed to see that through the justice system a penalty would reflect both Williams and Bruce criminal behaviour."

John Maher, principal trading standards officer at Sheffield City Council, said: “This case presents a clear warning to those whose hobby becomes a business for manufacturing products, that there can be catastrophic consequences of deliberately ignoring product safety requirements. There is always a need to ensure products are safe for consumers to use but particularly for babies and children.

“In this case, even after consumer complaints to the businesses about the safety of their cots and bunkbeds and a formal ‘Withdrawal Notice’ issued by Trading Standards to stop selling them after Oscar’s tragic death, both Bruce and Williams continued to fraudulently supply unsafe products to the public."

"Neither business was prepared to take any action to prevent even more children from being at harmed after Oscar’s death by taking product recall actions regarding the unsafe products they had sold, claiming that they had no money. After Sheffield Trading Standards forced Mr Williams to publish a product safety warning notice, some consumers who contacted him advised us they were being told by the business that their cot/bunk bed was ‘not that bad’. As a consequence of Mr Williams’ approach, Sheffield Trading Standards made a decision to take over what should have been his responsibility for dealing with unsafe product he had sold. This was a particularly difficult task for Officers due to the lack of any paperwork kept by the business to identify what they sold and to whom. Over 100 consumers required a specific assessment and decision as to whether or not their particular bespoke cot/bunk bed was safe. This tragic disregard for the law has had appalling consequences."