BEREAVED Steven Bradley and Sarah Brookes fight back tears as they cradle a photograph of their baby, Owen, a victim of cot death.

The couple courageously spoke about their tragedy today because they do not want others to go through an ordeal like theirs.

Steven and Sarah, of Dent Close, off Wyld's Lane, Worcester, want parents to be given monitors that sound an alarm if their baby is in danger.

Steven, aged 23, said: "They always offer you a monitor if you've already suffered a cot death, but why do it after someone has died? If we were offered this the first time perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation.

"Why can't everyone have a monitor as a matter of course? You would be able to give it back after 12 months. It doesn't matter about a charge, people would pay for peace of mind."

Sarah, 22, was horrified to find 13-week-old Owen stiff, cold and lifeless in his bed on Saturday, February 26. An inquest last week confirmed

death by nat-

ural causes.

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"I just turned over to look at him and lifted him up and the blood had settled on the side of his face. I knew something was seriously wrong and just got on the phone to the ambulance," she said.

"We aren't coping too bad now. He was lovely. He was the best-looking little boy I knew, and he had a great smile."

Steven added: "He was a handsome young boy and he laughed at everybody. He'll be sorely missed."

A spokeswoman for the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed apnoea monitors, which cost about £530 and check on babies' breathing, are made available to parents who have lost children through cot death.

She said health visitors offer help to parents with techniques to avoid further tragedies, including sleeping the child on its back, not smoking nearby and making sure they do not overheat.

"Incidence of cot death is decreasing since the Back To Sleep campaign in the 1990s. That would be a reason that we wouldn't necessarily issue apnoea monitors to all parents," she added.

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