A CORONER has issued a parting plea to parents of newborn babies following his retirement.

Roger Whittaker, who has served Huddersfield, Bradford and Halifax coroner’s courts for the last 15 years, spoke out about the potentially fatal dangers of sharing a bed with young children.

Mr Whittaker, 71, said: “By their very definition, many of these deaths are avoidable.

“It seems to me the simple expedient of not co-sleeping could save people a lot of grief.”

Research has shown there are about 300 sudden infant deaths in the UK – and 17 in West Yorkshire – every year.

In some cases fatalities are caused by unsafe sleeping arrangements, including incidents of ‘overlying’ – when babies are accidentally suffocated by a parent.

Mr Whittaker, a former lawyer, said: “These problems go back to time immemorial – the story of the judgement of Solomon is related to a co-sleeping death.

“It was noted as a problem in records in the late 1800s.

“There has been an implication that it is safe to co-sleep in certain circumstances and in some cases it was encouraged to enhance the bonding process.

“But you can’t bond with a dead baby.”

A West Yorkshire-wide study showed about one in three sudden infant deaths happened when babies were sharing adult beds or sleeping on a sofa or car seat.

Dr Sophie Egerton, public health registrar, said: “There are several theories which help to explain why sharing a bed or sofa with a young infant, with other risk factors, can increase the risk of sudden infant death.