A FOUR-year-old child with cerebral palsy suffocated to death after falling head down on a beanbag.

Callum Niall Ruddick of Iveston near Consett was found by his full-time carer Charlotte Irwin as she went to wake him, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

The inquest heard how the beanbag had been laid by Callum's bed to break his fall in case he ever fell out of bed, despite other safety measures designed to prevent him doing so.

Charlotte Irwin told the inquest how Callum was allowed to sleep in most mornings before his daily exercises but she had gone up to his room early on August 4. She said: "I found him lying face down... I immediately picked him up and screamed for Russell, his father. He ran up and tried to resuscitate him with Sarah my sister, who happened to be in and is a nurse, and I went to get the emergency services."

Callum's father Russell Ruddick said he had checked on his son three times that morning. The family had a baby monitor which ordinarily picked up every noise Callum made but neither he nor his wife heard anything that morning. Callum, who was severely disabled and blind, had fallen from his bed before but the family had taken extra measures to make it more secure.

North Durham deputy coroner Brenda Davidson recorded a verdict of accidental death.