Ongoing Uncertainty Surrounds Newborn's Death
Four years after the death of their newborn son, Jacob, parents Kianty and Conor Simpson from Lincolnshire remain without clear answers regarding the circumstances of his passing. Jacob died at four days old following multiple failures during his birth in June 2022.
The family has yet to scatter Jacob's ashes as no inquest has been held, and they still do not possess a death certificate for him. Jacob suffered a lack of oxygen to his brain during delivery at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, leading to the eventual withdrawal of life support.
The coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire has issued an apology to the Simpsons for the delay and assured them that Jacob's case is now a "priority."
"No-one can explain what the feeling is like of having to take a baby seat out of your car or to take the 'baby on board' sign off the back before driving home," said Conor. "The whole experience was extremely traumatic".
The couple were residing in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, when Conor was stationed in west Wales with the Army and Kianty became pregnant.
Before the pregnancy was publicly known, Kianty recorded a hidden camera video of herself presenting Conor with a box during dinner as an early birthday gift. Inside was a note expressing that he would be a "great father," along with baby clothes and positive pregnancy tests.
"I'd had a really bad day at work…and all of a sudden, all those worries just vanished. The only thing I was focused on was just being a dad," Conor recalled.
Labour and Birth Complications
On 15 June 2022, Kianty was admitted to Glangwili Hospital to be induced, but her labour began spontaneously. Initially, labour progressed well; however, by the following afternoon, it had slowed considerably.
"For a first-time mum, I had no idea what it was meant to feel like and how long it was meant to take," Kianty said.
Upon Jacob's birth, Conor immediately noticed something was wrong as Jacob appeared "pale, bluish."
"I just had an overwhelming sense of just panic because he looked dead and that was difficult," Conor said. "It's meant to be a happy moment. We were just watching him get resuscitated for 22 minutes and that was just awful."
The couple were informed that Jacob was critically ill due to a catastrophic lack of oxygen to his brain. Although resuscitated, doctors warned that he might not survive or could suffer severe disabilities.
Transfer and Passing
Jacob was transferred to Singleton Hospital in Swansea, where he received cooling treatment to reduce brain swelling. Despite these efforts, he passed away four days later.
"The staff were incredible," Kianty said. "They helped us make some little foot mouldings and we had the opportunity to hold him at the end."
Conor has experienced lasting emotional effects from the events surrounding Jacob's birth.
"Kianty is such a lovely person," he said. "I'm just thinking why does it have to happen to her."
He described the difficulty of stepping outside the hospital to inform family members of Jacob's death as the hardest phone call he has ever made.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
The Simpsons report difficulty moving forward due to the halted investigation by Hywel Dda University Health Board under the NHS Putting Things Right process in June 2024, after they engaged solicitors.
Prior to its suspension, the investigation identified several failings during Kianty's labour, including poor communication, failure to inform the family of concerns, inadequate fetal monitoring, and failure to escalate care. These findings were shared with the Simpsons.
The family noted that the investigation did not include independent neonatology expert evidence to clarify the cause of Jacob's death and were advised to await the inquest.
Hywel Dda University Health Board declined to comment on individual cases. Sharon Daniel, executive director of nursing, quality, and patient experience, expressed her "deepest sympathies" to the family.
"In the event of a serious incident we have robust processes in place for reviewing the incident internally, identifying any issues and, where appropriate, preparing an improvement plan to prevent such an occurrence in the future," Daniel said. "We regret any such incidents and always seek to learn from them."
The health board later admitted negligence in January 2026, acknowledging that Jacob's death was avoidable.
In February 2026, the Simpsons received a compensation offer from the health board with a 21-day deadline to accept, which they declined.
Delay in Inquest and Coroner's Response
After the BBC inquired about the delay in Jacob's inquest, the coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire sent a letter of apology to the family.
Senior coroner Gareth Lewis explained that staff shortages, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, had caused difficulties in managing new and existing cases.
"Jacob's inquest is now a 'priority' with an 'urgent review' of all documentation already received by my office," Lewis stated, suggesting a pre-inquest hearing date for the following month.
Chantelle Cooper, representing the family from Switalskis Solicitors, described the four-year delay as "very unusual."
"We've had an admission of liability, so we know there are failings, something went wrong," Cooper said. "To be four years along without answers, it's unbearable."
She added that the Simpsons are determined to understand what lessons have been learned to prevent similar tragedies.
Life After Loss
The couple now reside in Ashby de la Launde, Lincolnshire, and have since had another child. However, Kianty reported that her subsequent pregnancy was overshadowed by anxiety.
"I was kind of expecting it to end badly, not to get to the end of the pregnancy," she said. "I hadn't prepped for after he was born."
Luke, now two years old, is described by his parents as a "lovely, lovely boy" and very special to them.
"There are lots of triggers, people just asking, is this your first? How do you answer that?" Conor said. "It's not easy to be a parent when you've suffered loss."
He also expressed that they feel unable to give Luke their full attention while still "fighting for Jacob."
The Simpsons hope that Jacob's inquest will proceed to a full hearing soon, allowing them to find some measure of peace.
"These four years have just been torture. What we've been lacking as parents, is coming to terms with what's happened, because we don't know what happened."
