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| 'They haven’t told the truth': parents denied children's ashes chase justice | 'They haven’t told the truth': parents denied children's ashes chase justice |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Harry arrived early, at 27 weeks, said Rebecca Adams. “I had an infection in my waters and that’s what made him come,” she said. “He was really poorly in the four days we had him: he had seven transfusions, he had bleeding on the brain, his potassium levels were through the roof. | Harry arrived early, at 27 weeks, said Rebecca Adams. “I had an infection in my waters and that’s what made him come,” she said. “He was really poorly in the four days we had him: he had seven transfusions, he had bleeding on the brain, his potassium levels were through the roof. |
| “He was born on the 10th of December 2009 and he passed on the 14th.” | “He was born on the 10th of December 2009 and he passed on the 14th.” |
| Rebecca, 38, from Shrewsbury, and her husband, David, 43, faced a hard choice. What kind of funeral to give their infant son? They decided to cremate Harry. That way they would be able to keep him close. “I absolutely hated the thought of him being buried,” Rebecca said. “I was scared of him being alone. It just didn’t seem right.” They chose Emstrey crematorium, the closest to their home. | |
| The day before Harry’s funeral they learned they wouldn’t be given his ashes. His bones were too soft, Rebecca was told. “You’re a grieving parent and you don’t question what they say,” she said. “They are the professionals.” | The day before Harry’s funeral they learned they wouldn’t be given his ashes. His bones were too soft, Rebecca was told. “You’re a grieving parent and you don’t question what they say,” she said. “They are the professionals.” |
| This week, Clive Wright, the chief executive of Shropshire council, apologised to Rebecca and the parents of more than 50 other infants cremated at Emstrey between 2000 and 2012. None had their children’s remains returned to them. | |
| Related: Parents who lost baby ashes demand apology from crematorium | Related: Parents who lost baby ashes demand apology from crematorium |
| The parents reject Wright’s apology, as well as the findings of an inquiry set up by the council. It has left important questions unanswered, they say, and it has held no one to account. | The parents reject Wright’s apology, as well as the findings of an inquiry set up by the council. It has left important questions unanswered, they say, and it has held no one to account. |
| Rhiannon Davies’s daughter Kate was cremated at Emstrey in 2009. She said: “If you are going to apologise for something, you need to be clear about what you are apologising for. They haven’t been honest in the report. They haven’t told the truth about what happened with the remains. They’ve gone on and on about this being a historic problem when it happened on this council’s watch.” | |
| Rhiannon, 40, from Ludlow, lost her daughter on 1 March 2009 after a difficult 31-hour labour. “The midwife wrote down that she noted the baby was pale and floppy,” Rhiannon said. “Kate’s temperature reading showed she was hypothermic. She was 36.06 degrees. She was grunting, which is a sign of respiratory distress, and she had no suck reflex.” | Rhiannon, 40, from Ludlow, lost her daughter on 1 March 2009 after a difficult 31-hour labour. “The midwife wrote down that she noted the baby was pale and floppy,” Rhiannon said. “Kate’s temperature reading showed she was hypothermic. She was 36.06 degrees. She was grunting, which is a sign of respiratory distress, and she had no suck reflex.” |
| The midwife sent Rhiannon for a bath, and sent her husband, Richard, home. She put Kate in an unheated cot. “She said everything was fine,” Rhiannon said. “She left Kate completely alone.” Rhiannon never saw Kate alive again. An inquest in 2012 determined that Kate’s death was avoidable. | The midwife sent Rhiannon for a bath, and sent her husband, Richard, home. She put Kate in an unheated cot. “She said everything was fine,” Rhiannon said. “She left Kate completely alone.” Rhiannon never saw Kate alive again. An inquest in 2012 determined that Kate’s death was avoidable. |
| “Kate was born in Ludlow and died as a result of the care given to her there,” Rhiannon said. “After everything we didn’t know whether we wanted to stay. But we couldn’t bear to leave her behind somewhere, so the only other option was cremation. I thought if we had her cremated, I could have her ashes with me forever.” | “Kate was born in Ludlow and died as a result of the care given to her there,” Rhiannon said. “After everything we didn’t know whether we wanted to stay. But we couldn’t bear to leave her behind somewhere, so the only other option was cremation. I thought if we had her cremated, I could have her ashes with me forever.” |
| But two days before the funeral, Rhiannon and Richard were told there would be no ashes. Kate, who was born weighing 7lbs 14oz, was too small, they were told. “We thought we were stupid thinking that there would be ashes,” Rhiannon said. “We weren’t ever, ever told that had we gone anywhere else, there would be.” | But two days before the funeral, Rhiannon and Richard were told there would be no ashes. Kate, who was born weighing 7lbs 14oz, was too small, they were told. “We thought we were stupid thinking that there would be ashes,” Rhiannon said. “We weren’t ever, ever told that had we gone anywhere else, there would be.” |
| Despite their misgivings they went ahead with the cremation. “We felt we had no choice,” Rhiannon said. “In our minds we decided if there would be no remains it would be because Kate was free, on the air. But that isn’t now what we understand.” | Despite their misgivings they went ahead with the cremation. “We felt we had no choice,” Rhiannon said. “In our minds we decided if there would be no remains it would be because Kate was free, on the air. But that isn’t now what we understand.” |
| Years later, Glen Perkins, another parent whose child was cremated at Emstrey, teamed up with a reporter from BBC Radio Shropshire. Together they began investigating practices at the crematorium. After they found more families denied the ashes of their children, they went public. | Years later, Glen Perkins, another parent whose child was cremated at Emstrey, teamed up with a reporter from BBC Radio Shropshire. Together they began investigating practices at the crematorium. After they found more families denied the ashes of their children, they went public. |
| Rebecca learned of Perkins’s campaign through an announcement at her church. Rhiannon found out after her husband heard the radio reports. More parents came forward until the scandal became so serious it forced the council to investigate. Shropshire hired David Jenkins to lead a 12-week inquiry. It reported on Monday. | |
| Jenkins found that by 2009, the year Kate and Harry were cremated, furnaces at Emstrey were decrepit. “The computer control system was archaic,” Jenkins said. “The system ran on obsolete floppy discs and staff had to recycle old computers to keep the system running.” | Jenkins found that by 2009, the year Kate and Harry were cremated, furnaces at Emstrey were decrepit. “The computer control system was archaic,” Jenkins said. “The system ran on obsolete floppy discs and staff had to recycle old computers to keep the system running.” |
| The report noted the cremators had no infant setting and staff did not realise they could override presets. Lower temperatures would have made it more likely that some infant remains could have been recovered. But Jenkins said environmental regulations may have banned that and other practises, such as cremating young children, at the start or end of the day. | The report noted the cremators had no infant setting and staff did not realise they could override presets. Lower temperatures would have made it more likely that some infant remains could have been recovered. But Jenkins said environmental regulations may have banned that and other practises, such as cremating young children, at the start or end of the day. |
| Jenkins stressed that the problem was historical. When Shrewsbury council merged with Shropshire in 2009, it outsourced management of Emstrey. In 2013, new cremators, new techniques, and a baby tray were introduced. From then until the end of 2014, ashes were recovered in all six infant cremations at Emstrey. | |
| He recommended introduction of a national regulator, as well as better training for staff. But he singled out no officials for accountability. Parents have accused the report of evading its obligation. | He recommended introduction of a national regulator, as well as better training for staff. But he singled out no officials for accountability. Parents have accused the report of evading its obligation. |
| “He just tried to blame the equipment, which I knew he would. None of them have taken responsibility for this,” Rebecca said. She called Jenkins’s treatment of parents disgusting. | |
| Rhiannon said: “Basically the report doesn’t conclude anything. The author extrapolates nothing. He writes that the crematorium was years out of date, it didn’t employ a proper service contract; but the emphasis on this as a historical problem does not really do it justice. The people responsible are still working for the council.” | Rhiannon said: “Basically the report doesn’t conclude anything. The author extrapolates nothing. He writes that the crematorium was years out of date, it didn’t employ a proper service contract; but the emphasis on this as a historical problem does not really do it justice. The people responsible are still working for the council.” |
| Moreover, Rhiannon claimed, pertinent details never reached Jenkins’s report. She said she learned that staff at Emstrey had raised concerns, but were ignored. She said Jenkins failed to speak to the council bosses who decided to keep the furnaces running past their life expectancy. | |
| “The thing that bugs me is that allegedly the staff at the crematorium were so shocked every time they did a cremation with infant remains they told superiors,” she said. “So why didn’t they say there will be no remains if you come here so go somewhere else? | “The thing that bugs me is that allegedly the staff at the crematorium were so shocked every time they did a cremation with infant remains they told superiors,” she said. “So why didn’t they say there will be no remains if you come here so go somewhere else? |
| “I just hope those responsible know of the lifetime of pain that they have doomed us to. We have been to hell and back fighting for answers for Kate, but this nearly destroyed us.” | “I just hope those responsible know of the lifetime of pain that they have doomed us to. We have been to hell and back fighting for answers for Kate, but this nearly destroyed us.” |
| Rhiannon said the most painful moment had been when she realised that Kate’s cremation may well have left remains. “It seems very likely there was what they call fly ash,” she said, referring to ash which collected in the flues of the cremators. | Rhiannon said the most painful moment had been when she realised that Kate’s cremation may well have left remains. “It seems very likely there was what they call fly ash,” she said, referring to ash which collected in the flues of the cremators. |
| “The report said this was periodically collected and interred with great care in the rose garden. But we can imagine what really happened. We’re not naive.” Her worst fear is that this ash may have ended up in a landfill, she said. | “The report said this was periodically collected and interred with great care in the rose garden. But we can imagine what really happened. We’re not naive.” Her worst fear is that this ash may have ended up in a landfill, she said. |
| Rebecca is vice-chair of Action For Ashes, a group Perkins set up to campaign on behalf of affected parents. On Tuesday they called for a national inquiry into infant cremations. Perkins said parents across the country had contacted him after similar experiences. The group is seeking support through an online petition. | Rebecca is vice-chair of Action For Ashes, a group Perkins set up to campaign on behalf of affected parents. On Tuesday they called for a national inquiry into infant cremations. Perkins said parents across the country had contacted him after similar experiences. The group is seeking support through an online petition. |
| But Rebecca said that in the meantime she is pleased officials have acted at Emstrey. “We are really happy that other families are going to get their children’s ashes back. We wouldn’t want anybody to go through what we have because it’s just soul destroying. | But Rebecca said that in the meantime she is pleased officials have acted at Emstrey. “We are really happy that other families are going to get their children’s ashes back. We wouldn’t want anybody to go through what we have because it’s just soul destroying. |
| “We’re lucky, we’ve got lots of photos of Harry. But it still doesn’t change the fact that they’ve taken something precious from us.” | “We’re lucky, we’ve got lots of photos of Harry. But it still doesn’t change the fact that they’ve taken something precious from us.” |
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