A FILE compiled by detectives investigating a baby's death in hospital has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which will now decide if the case should result in criminal proceedings.

Alfie Martin was delivered at Harrogate District Hospital on February 28.

However, due to complications during birth, he was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary, where he died in the neo-natal intensive care unit on March 2.

North Yorkshire Coroner Geoff Fell requested a police investigation, and when an inquest opened at Harrogate Magistrates' Court, in April, the cause of death was given as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy - brain damage caused by oxygen starvation.

Harrogate Health Care Trust released a statement announcing that it had already held its own interim investigation into the circumstances surrounding Alfie's death and, as a result, had dispensed with the services of the locum registrar on duty at the time.

Although the General Medical Council was informed, the doctor involved has not yet been identified - neither would the trust be drawn on the reasons for his departure.

However, managers insist they co-operated fully with police leading the investigation ordered by the coroner.

That inquiry has now been concluded and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) must now decide if it should result in a formal prosecution.

Meanwhile, the coroner has yet to announce a date for the resumption of the inquest, which was adjourned after the brief hearing in April.

The Harrogate and District Community Health Council (CHC) represents the public's interests in health matters and will be among the organisations briefed on the issue when inquiries are complete.

However, the CHC's chief officer, Mark Kennedy, said yesterday: "It is just a matter of wait-and-see at the moment.

"We cannot speculate on the outcome until we know more, and we have not yet been told when the inquest will resume.''

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said that although the investigation was over, a decision on a prosecution may take some time.

"It is now in the hands of the CPS. We can do no more than wait." he said.