Infant's death could not be prevented - coroner

No one could have done anything to prevent the death of a healthy, well cared-for baby boy who died without warning in his cot, a coroner has found.

Fourteen-month-old Ryley Clemmens had a slightly runny nose on the evening on July 6, 2009, but was "talkative, smiley and cheerful" when his mother settled him.

When she woke the next morning he was cold and still.

Coroner Carla na Nagara found that Ryley died of sudden unexpected death in infancy, although he was slightly older than babies who generally died from the syndrome.

"This cause of death - sudden unexpected death in infancy - is not anybody's fault. It is a tragic cause of death that just happens and frighteningly it happens to children who seem otherwise well.

"The evidence before me is that Ryley was really well cared for, he was a healthy wee chap and he had a slightly runny nose which is incredibly common in children of his age.

"He slept in a safe sleeping environment and it seems to me that his death absolutely could not have been predicted and I do not think there is anything anyone could have done to have avoided it."

Ms na Nagara said children who died from sudden unexpected death syndrome went to bed perfectly well and it was very unusual to get any sort of clue that they were not going to wake up in the morning.

"We do not know why these deaths occur but I think it is really important to understand that it could not have been predicted and it was not anybody's fault."

Sudden unexpected death in infancy was formerly known as sudden infant death syndrome (Sids).