Family of woman who died in labour wins £410,000 payout

The family of a woman who died in labour and never saw the son she had conceived after IVF treatment was awarded £410,000 damages today.

Joanne Lockham, 45, was admitted to Stoke Mandeville hospital, Aylesbury, in October 2007 for the birth of her first child. The decision to perform a Caesarean section was made when the baby's heart rate suddenly dropped.

But the tube meant to provide oxygen for Mrs Lockham, of Wendover, Buckinghamshire, was placed in her oesophagus rather than windpipe.

She was deprived of oxygen for half an hour and suffered cardiac arrest a minute after the delivery of her baby, Finn, who is being brought up by her husband Peter, a 48-year-old builder.

At the High Court, Mr Justice Burnett approved the settlement against Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which admitted liability and apologised at the March inquest into the death.

The judge said: "The settlement is an entirely appropriate one."