Inquest: Infant's Death from Unsafe Prone Sleep by Unregulated Nurse

Four-month-old Madison Bruce Smith, the grandson of former Manchester United player and manager Steve Bruce, died on October 18, 2024, after being placed in an unsafe prone sleeping position by an unregulated maternity nurse, an inquest has concluded.

Madison was found unresponsive by his father, former Leeds United and Fulham striker Matt Smith, at the family home in Trafford, Greater Manchester, around 7 a.m. Efforts to resuscitate him at the scene failed, and he was pronounced dead at Wythenshawe Hospital. The infant's parents, Matt Smith and Amy Smith—Steve Bruce's daughter—had hired Eva Clements through Ruthie Maternity Services to help address Madison's afternoon sleeping difficulties. The couple believed Clements was a qualified and vetted professional from a reputable company offering sleep support, but the inquest at Stockport Coroners Court revealed that neither Clements nor the service was regulated.

Clements, who had met the family only that day, placed Madison on his stomach for an afternoon nap, despite the parents' concerns. She later advised them to continue the position overnight under a verbal agreement for nighttime care, citing her experience with her own...