Maternity staff found guilty of neglect over baby boy's death

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Riley Croft was starved of oxygen during labour at the Royal Free Hospital in March 2005 and died 35 minutes after being born.

St Pancras Coroner's Court had heard how his mother, Heather Paterson, was given twice the recommended amount of labour-inducing gel, which caused her to convulse and writhe in agony.

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The Royal Free Hospital in London

Two midwives also missed "obvious" warning signs the unborn baby was in distress and ignored the parents' pleas to be seen by a doctor.

Riley's father Iain Croft, 42, who works for the BBC World Service, hugged his wife yesterday as the jury returned a unanimous verdict of death by "natural causes to which neglect contributed".

Afterwards he vowed to sue, and attacked the hospital for allowing its staff to make fatal errors even after a near-identical tragedy there in 2001.

He said: "They have taken away the most precious thing in the world. One error is a mistake. A series of fatal errors by three individuals is indicative of systemic failure."

The couple, from Crouch End, North London, have referred the two midwives involved to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

In a statement the Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust "apologised unreservedly" and added: "Following Riley's death a board level inquiry was immediately undertaken. As a result the trust has implemented changes in procedure and clinical practice and communications to prevent a similar incident.

"Two midwives involved... have undergone additional training."