A FAULTY cot was responsible for the "tragic and unnecessary" death of a seven-month-old baby boy, a sheriff has ruled.

Ainslie Smith died after becoming trapped between the mattress and the slatted side section of his £200 Cosatto Stratford cot as he slept in his home in Pitlessie, Fife, in July 2009.

His body was discovered by mother Alexandra Smith. She and husband Ainslie attempted CPR but could not revive him.

They welcomed the findings of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) and said they hoped no other parents would have to go through such a heartbreaking ordeal.

In his determination on the FAI at Cupar Sheriff Court, Sheriff Charlie McNair found modifications to the cot's defects would have prevented the tragedy.

An expert found the fixing holding the side of the cot steady could come loose, creating a gap a child could fall into. The sheriff said the cot bed should have been designed so the split end at the foot of the cot could not come apart once constructed.

He said it was inconceivable the flaw would not have been noticed during design, manufacture and testing but said he was unable to apportion blame on furniture firm Cosatto.

In April 2010, Cosatto issued a safety enhancement device for Stratford cot beds made between 2005 and 2009 but a new model which did not exhibit the flaw was on the market before Mr and Mrs Smith bought the original version from Baby Land in Kirkcaldy in 2009.

Mrs Smith described how Ainslie's body was wedged vertically – his back was against the slats on the side of the cot and he was facing the mattress. A post-mortem found the baby died of asphyxia and a mechanical obstruction of the upper airway.

Sheriff McNair said: "There was no dispute this cot bed had a defect which rendered it unsafe."

He added: "After Ainslie was put to bed he had pushed the side of the cot causing a gap to occur through which he slipped. He became trapped between the drop side and the cot base with his face against the mattress. This caused his death.

"While I make no findings in relation to fault, that does not mean I cannot make findings based on evidence from which fault could be inferred."

In a statement, the Smith family said: "Mr and Mrs Smith are more than satisfied with the sheriff's determination. They believe it has vindicated their efforts to fully investigate the circumstances leading to the sudden death of their baby son.

"While they have always known this tragedy could have been avoided, the inquiry has undoubtedly established clear defects in the design and construction of the Cosatto cot.

"They hope the sheriff's findings will go some way to ensure the circumstances surrounding their heartbreaking ordeal do not befall another family."

Ainslie was their first son. They have a daughter, Rosemary Aileen and a son, James Ainslie Martin, born in February.

A Cosatto spokesman said: "We accept the determination and take on board all comments made in the hearing. We complied with every aspect of this investigation and remain committed to continual improvement of product safety. Our thoughts and condolences remain with the family.