A coroner has warned parents about the danger of storing toxic substances next to foodstuffs.

Acting Kirklees coroner Prof Paul Marks was speaking at an inquest into the death of a two-year-old Almondbury boy who drank plant food.

The youngster suffered terrible internal injuries after swigging from a bottle that resembled a popular children’s fruit drink.

The Huddersfield inquest was told how little Aaron Booth reached up to a window sill and grabbed a bottle of PH Up left next to some crisps.

Prof Marks described what happened as “tragic” and added: “Toxic domestic chemicals must be kept out of reach of children at all times.

“I am certain that the fertiliser was on a reachable shelf near a box of crisps.

“Toxic substances and foodstuffs should never be kept together.”

Prof Marks said he was also considering making a recommendation for the PH Up bottle design to be changed.

The hearing was told that the plant food looked similar to a bottle of Fruit Shoot.

Aaron, who lived with his mum Lauren Booth in Norris Close, collapsed after drinking the potassium hydroxide which was on a window ledge outside his bedroom.

He was rushed to hospital but despite undergoing surgery to remove his stomach and part of his oesophagus he died at Leeds General Infirmary on November 17 2010, 11 days later.

Ms Booth was later convicted of wilful neglect of Aaron after a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

She escaped jail and was sentenced to a community order.

The inquest was told that Ms Booth now has another child, a daughter.

Det Sgt Jane Taylor, of West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, told the inquest how Ms Booth and her partner Sean Williams were awoken by a thud.

They found Aaron collapsed and Mr Williams dialled 999 saying Aaron had drunk plant food.

Det Sgt Taylor said the bottle had been on a ledge within “easy reach” of Aaron.

“Aaron apparently liked Fruit Shoots and to look at the bottle you could mistake it for a Fruit Shoot bottle,” she said.

She said PH Up is often used in cannabis cultivation and it was suspected that cannabis had been grown in the house.

There was a circular hole in a ceiling, a receipt for cables and floodlights were found and a laptop had been used to research hydroponics.

Mr Williams admitted a “fascination” with hydroponics but there was only circumstantial evidence that cannabis had been grown in the house, said Det Sgt Taylor.

Neighbours told police that on the day Aaron was taken to hospital people were seen to be carrying “objects” out of the house and loading them into a van.

Mr Williams has not faced any charges connected with what happened.

Ms Booth did not co-operate with the inquest and refused to give a statement.

Lauren Booth
Lauren Booth

Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board carried out a serious case review as Ms Booth was known to social and health workers.

The inquest heard that Aaron had been born prematurely, at just 26 weeks, and had developmental problems and was profoundly deaf.

Social workers were helping Ms Booth cope with Aaron’s problems but she missed appointments.

The review found that social workers should have stepped in to help sooner when it was clear Ms Booth was struggling.

However board chairman Mrs Bronwyn Sanders, who also chaired the review panel, said what happened to Aaron could not have been predicted or prevented.

She said Ms Booth was struggling to help her son with his hearing aids but there was no question the boy was not well cared for otherwise.

Prof Marks, recording a verdict of accidental death to which neglect contributed, said he was satisfied there had been no grounds for Aaron to have been taken into care at the time.

He added: “This was a tragic accident but the facts of this case indicate that this accident could and should have been avoided by appropriate storage of this chemical.”

Prof Marks said he would wait for the outcome of another review before deciding whether to make further recommendations.