Months old baby who died in Rochdale had been "exposed" to cocaine and cannabis

Rochdale Coroners Office

A baby who died in Rochdale at three-and-a-half months old had been exposed to cannabis and cocaine before his death, an inquest has found.

Baby Grant John Storey-Delaney – the subject of a Child in Need Plan – was found at his home on Buckley Lane, Rochdale on 22 February 2021.

A Child in Need plan outlines support provided to a child by Children’s Services. The plan is offered by social services to any child considered to be in need under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

This can include children with disabilities, or whose health or development can be “significantly impaired” without services from a local authority or are unable to maintain reasonable health without services from a local authority.

Children in need can be children with special educational needs and disability, young carers, children who have committed a crime, children whose parents are in prison of children seeking asylum.

Grant parents, Sophie Riley and Steven Delaney, were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect and were bailed pending further enquiries. 

Police have confirmed on Monday (25 September) that they are both still under investigation for child neglect.

Read more: Man and woman arrested on suspicion of child neglect after baby found dead at Buckley Lane housePublished: 28 February 2021

A post-mortem was unable to establish the exact mechanism of his death whilst evidence revealed he had been “exposed to both cannabis and cocaine before he died.”

Evidence also revealed his home environment was “overheated and unsanitary” and that the arrangements for his sleeping were “unsafe.”

The inquest was heard at Rochdale Coroners’ Court on 20 September where Coroner Catherine McKenna ruled that the cause of death was “unascertained” and recorded an open conclusion.