A CORONER insisted he was right to issue a cot death warning to parents after a mother told an inquest his words had left her feeling accused.

MacKenzie Lee Shaneen Archer died as a result of sudden infant death syndrome, which still baffles medical science.

But an inquest heard that although MacKenzie was in bed with her mother at the time of her death on November 9 last year, there was nothing to suggest she had been smothered. Her mother Vicky and other members of the family said the grieving mother had felt accused after a warning from coroner Michael Singleton appeared in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph about the possible dangers of letting babies sleep with their parents.

And while Mr Singleton said he apologised if his comments had caused distress, he could not apologise for attempting to prevent another young mother from being put in the same situationy.

"One of my functions is to try and prevent a recurrence of this kind of tragic event," said Mr Singleton.

"At the time of MacKenzie's death there had been a number of deaths involving small children where concerns had been expressed about the fact that they were sleeping with their parents.

"This is one factor that medical experts are considering as they attempt to answer the questions posed by what is known as sudden infant death syndrome."

Dr Melanie Newbold, consultant paediatric pathologist at Manchester Children's Hospital said that on the balance of probabilities she thought death was as a result of sudden infant death syndrome.

Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.

The inquest heard that MacKenzie had been born five weeks premature and had spent two weeks in the neo-natal unit at Queen's Park Hospital before being allowed home to Tintern Crescent, Blackburn. Miss Archer said that for two weeks before her death MacKenzie had slept in her bed because she would not settle in a Moses basket. She had taken the child to bed at 11.30pm and when she woke the following morning MacKanzie was lying on her back facing away from her mother.

When she picked MacKenzie up Miss Archer realised she was cold and that something was seriously wrong.