Baby girl died alone in cot after father abandoned her to watch TV

Baby girl died alone in cot after father, 27, abandoned her to watch TV and play games on his mobile during ‘all-nighter’ with child’s mother six days before Christmas

  • Kiera Conroy died alone in her cot after her mother and father stayed up all night
  • She was found lifeless next afternoon at 3pm as her parents prepared to go out
  • Kiera’s father Michael Conroy, 27, admitted neglect at Airdrie Sheriff Court 
  • Her mother Kirsty Boyle (near right), 24, pleaded not guilty to the same charge


A 19-month-old girl died alone in her cot after her mother and father played games on their mobile phones and watched television all night, a court heard.

Kiera Conroy was found lifeless the next afternoon at 3pm as her parents prepared to go out, having spent most of the day asleep after going to bed at 6.30am.

Her father Michael Conroy, 27, admitted neglect at Airdrie Sheriff Court – while her mother Kirsty Boyle, 24, pleaded not guilty to the same charge, which was accepted.

Kiera, who lived with her parents in the North Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge, died on December 20, 2017 – just five days before Christmas.

Kiera Conroy died alone in her cot at home in the North Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge

Conroy admitted ‘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’.

The charge said that in the three days before his daughter died, Conroy ‘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’.

Conroy also admitted allowing his daughter to be exposed to street Valium pills after tablets were found in her travel cot, although there was no suggestion she took any.

It was Miss Boyle who found her daughter’s lifeless body at about 5pm, while she and Conroy were preparing to go to her father’s home, reported the Daily Record.

Miss Boyle said she and Conroy had been awake until 6.30am that morning, telling police: ‘We were both shattered. We did an all nighter. It’s a bad habit.’

Kiera's father Michael Conroy (right), 27, admitted neglect at Airdrie Sheriff Court - while her mother Kirsty Boyle (left), 24, pleaded not guilty to the same charge, which was accepted

Kiera’s father Michael Conroy (right), 27, admitted neglect at Airdrie Sheriff Court – while her mother Kirsty Boyle (left), 24, pleaded not guilty to the same charge, which was accepted

The couple fell asleep on the sofa and did not wake up until 3pm, with Miss Boyle saying she did not hear Kiera and ‘assumed she was asleep’.

Conroy claimed to have given Kiera milk when she woke up during the night and early morning, but prosecutors said police found no food or formula milk at the flat.

Boyle called 999 after finding Kiera ‘very white, with sick about her mouth’ – and paramedics arrived to find Conroy performing CPR, but the girl could not be saved. 

Sheriff Fergus Thomson deferred sentencing until November for a criminal justice social work report and electronic tagging assessment. Conroy was released on bail.

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