Ben Condon: Parents seek second inquest through High Court

Ben Condon's parents will now take their case to the High Court

The parents of a baby boy who died at eight-weeks-old are to go to the High Court to try to secure a second inquest into his death.

Ben Condon died at the Bristol Children's Hospital in April 2015.

His parents believe antibiotics could have prevented his death, but the coroner at his first inquest disagreed.

The Attorney General has now given consent for them to apply to have Ben's original inquest quashed and a new inquest carried out.

Mr Condon, from Weston-super-Mare, said: "From speaking to our legal team, I don't believe this is something the Attorney General does every day."

Ben, who was born prematurely, died after developing a respiratory illness.

Allyn Condon and Ben's mother Jenny said they were "haunted" by the verdict at his inquest

An inquest at Avon Coroner's Court in 2016 recorded a narrative verdict saying Ben's death was caused by a combination of being born early and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

After a reappraisal, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, apologised to Ben's parents in 2017 and admitted that failing to give antibiotics had contributed to his death.

Now, the Attorney General has paved the way for his parents, Allyn and Jenny, to push for a second inquest and they await a date to attend the High Court.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust said it remains "deeply sorry for the distress caused to Mr and Mrs Condon".

"We are aware that the Attorney General has agreed to Mr Condon's request for an application to decide whether a fresh inquest should take place, and we await the decision of the High Court," the trust added.