Christian Blewitt
⬤
public
2002 Dec 7
placement
Sandwell Social Services
Three year old Christian was placed with along with his 2 younger siblings with inexperienced parents Angela and Ian Gay in Nov 2002. Six weeks after placement, Christian was admitted to a hospital then died. He had head injuries and a significant amount of salt in his bloodstream. The initial autopsy listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.
Gays were initially found guilty of manslaughter. This verdict was overturned based on new medical evidence. At the second trial, they were found not guilty.
News reports of the second trial mention hydrocephalus and "salt diabetes" (Diabetes insipidus). Christian was alleged to have been diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 7 months. The condition was not monitored or disclosed to the Gays or the prior foster parents.
It is unclear if a medical condition, forced salt ingestion, physical abuse, or some combination of the three caused his death.
Documents
| Title | Publication date |
|---|---|
| Debate over cause of boy's death | 2007 Mar 27 |
| Salt death pair 'felt abandoned' | 2007 Mar 7 |
| Man called salt boy 'a vegetable' | 2007 Jan 22 |
| Couple 'forced boy to eat salt' | 2007 Jan 19 |
| Salt case 'may mean more appeals' | 2006 Apr 12 |
| Salt poison couple's court appeal | 2006 Mar 21 |
| Diabetes theory over salt death | 2005 Nov 29 |
| Salt death could not be predicted | 2005 Oct 21 |
| Salt death killer in report call | 2005 Sep 25 |
| Leading QC represents salt pair | 2005 Apr 30 |
| Salt poison couple's letter plea | 2005 Mar 14 |
| Salt case couple 'wrongly jailed' | 2005 Jan 20 |
| Salt poison case couple convicted | 2005 Jan 13 |
| Fears were raised over killer couple | 2005 Jan 13 |
| Boy murder 'no more than theory' | 2005 Jan 10 |
| Accused regrets 'vegetable' slur | 2004 Dec 17 |
| Boy, three, was 'near to death' | 2004 Nov 24 |
| Pair 'had second thoughts on boy' | 2004 Nov 23 |
| Couple 'poisoned boy with salt' | 2004 Nov 22 |
| Couple in court over toddler death | 2003 Aug 1 |