Elaina Aziz: parents jailed for leaving baby girl, 1, to die unsupervised in a bath while they took drugs

The parents of a one-year-old baby girl who died after they left her unsupervised in a bath while they took drugs have been jailed.

Little Elaina Rose Aziz was found “seriously unwell” at her home on the evening of 6 August 2020. She suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital, where she died a short time later.

Elaina’s parents, Eddo Aziz and Kelsey Harrison, were arrested in connection with her death. They denied wrongdoing but toxicology tests proved they had tragically left Elaina in the bath while they were under the influence of drugs.

Aziz, 37, today (24 May) was jailed for 16 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court after he admitted child cruelty at a previous hearing. Harrison, 28, was jailed for five years after she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence, child cruelty and possession of an offensive weapon in connection with an unrelated offence.

Aziz, Top Knot Close, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was told he would serve half his sentence, while Harrison, of the same address, will be freed after serving two thirds of her jail term.

Det Ch Insp Teresa McKenna, of Warwickshire Police, said: "This has been an utterly tragic and entirely avoidable case. Elaina should have been able to enjoy bath time while under the care of her parents.

“Both Aziz and Harrison abandoned their responsibility to keep their child safe from harm – ultimately with devastating consequences. Their neglectful actions meant that Elaina lost her life unnecessarily and her death has caused unimaginable suffering for the rest of the family.

“Thankfully these cases are extremely rare, but nonetheless, it has taken a meticulous and lengthy police investigation to establish what happened that night. I’d like to thank the experts for their insight and dedication to getting the right outcome for Elaina and her family.”

Following Elaina's death, relatives paid tribute to their "perfect little miracle". In a heart-breaking statement, they said: "Our whole family is absolutely heartbroken and devastated at the loss of our beautiful baby girl, Elaina Rose.

"She was enormously loved and adored by us all; she was our daughter, granddaughter, great granddaughter and niece. Elaina only ever knew happiness and our love and devotion.

"Elaina was our little miracle, perfect in every way, and the most loved and adored little princess there could ever be. She was beautiful inside and out, with her bouncy soft curls in her masses of hair and the longest of eyelashes.

"Her smile was enough to melt anyone's heart, and her giggle was so infectious. She was always a happy little girl who loved learning to sing and sign with Mr Tumble and her nightly snuggles with Pepe Nana watching Moon and Me.

"She had lots of adventures out in the countryside; she loved listening to the birdies sing and the wind in the trees. She will forever be in our hearts and minds and will travel with us wherever we may venture until we meet again. Goodnight baby girl. She was given by God as a pure gift and taken back into his loving arms; she was too angelic to be in this world."

Police normally release custody photos of people who have been jailed for at least a year, however Warwickshire Police said that "following consultation with the family and in line with their wishes, it has been decided not to issue custody images of Harrison and Aziz".