Baby's body frozen for 20 years

5:48am Monday 5th February 2007

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A four-month- old baby has been lying frozen at Hornsey Coroner's Court for almost 20 years because his parents refuse to accept the cause of death.

Since Christopher Blum died in June 1987, his parents, Steve and Mary, from Edmonton, have refused to register his death because they believe that a vaccination given the day he died was to blame, and not sudden infant death syndrome.

Haringey Council has paid nearly £15,000 to keep the baby frozen at the Myddelton Road mortuary in a drawer labelled Baby Blum: Deceased'.

On the day of his death Christopher's mother took him to North Middlesex Hospital in Enfield for a routine triple immunisation, after which he was immediately sick. His parents put him to bed early and when they went to check on him he was rigid and had blood pouring from his nose.

Despite post-mortem results claiming cot death was to blame, Mr Blum wants an inquest into the case to be opened, although it looks unlikely.

He said: "I don't accept the conclusion that it was cot death. It is distressing but their conclusions of the events don't add up.

"My legal aid stopped in the mid-90s and I haven't been able to do any work on the case since then, but I never gave up. All I want is an inquest into his death because, by definition the circumstances are suspicious."

The council hopes to resolve the matter with the family before the mortuary is relocated to Tottenham next year. It has the power to arrange a parish funeral under the Public Health Act 1984, without the parents' consent.

Mr Blum said: "I was not aware that the mortuary was moving. But they can't take his body. It belongs to us." A council spokesman said: "We have been as sympathetic as possible to the Blums ever since the tragic death of Christopher in 1987. We have made various attempts over the years to resolve matters with the family via their solicitors, but unfortunately there has been no response.

"As the Blums have still not registered the death, which would allow the funeral to take place, the baby has been kept in the mortuary."