NURSES at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital suspected that Donna Hanson was harming her tragic son Toby Woods after medical staff at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn failed to pass on vital information about his case.

This was stated as the dramatic inquest into Toby's death approached the end of its first week.

Three-month-old Toby died in September 1999 less than a year after his brother Ashley, 10 months, had also died.

Miss Hanson, 26, of Church Street, Accrington, was arrested on suspicion of murder in January 2000 and it was not until August last year that police announced they would not be pressing charges.

The inquest in Clitheroe Town Hall heard that Toby was transferred to Pendlebury for further tests after staff at Queen's Park had failed to find a medical reason for his convulsions and "staring episodes".

Nursing notes and information passed on outlined concerns about Miss Hanson's behaviour but failed to explain that some nurses had witnessed the episodes.

Staff at Pendlebury were led to believe that there were no independent witnesses and the finger of suspicion fell on Miss Hanson.

Nurses at Manchester were told to keep a close eye on mother and son and to make a note of who the tot was with when he had a fit.

Dr Richard Newton, paediatric consultant at Pendlebury, began to suspect that Toby was a victim of Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy - a mental disorder in which a person inflicts injury on another individual, often a child, and then seeks medical advice for the "illness".

During his stay at Pendlebury Toby was diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal reflux disorder, where the body forces acid up from the stomach into the oesophagus.

It has been suggested during the course of the inquest that the acid had been causing Toby's vocal chords to close, stopping him from breathing.

But despite the diagnosis Dr Newton still had concerns over Miss Hanson.

He said that the reflux was common among babies and Toby's food had been thickened to stop him from being sick, causing his condition to improve in the days leading to his discharge.

In a statement to police following Toby's death, Dr Newton said: "It is my opinion that Miss Hanson had a hand in Toby's death and there is reasonable doubt in my mind that Toby died from natural causes."

In evidence, Dr Newton did admit that it would have been helpful to have known about the independent witnesses to Toby's staring episodes.

He said that he was "surprised" and "disappointed" that the nurses had not made him aware of the independent witnesses and added: "If nurses had witnessed these episodes that would have reassured us."

Toby died shortly after being released from hospital to his then home in Pendle Street, Accrington.

He was in his pram in the front room and Miss Hanson was in the kitchen when she heard the breathing alarm go off.

She said she desperately tried to revive the baby, who was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary, where he was pronounced dead.

An inquest into the death of Ashley recorded a verdict of unascertained natural causes.