Mortonhall scandal: Who were we to question it?

A GRIEVING dad who held his premature son in his hand just hours before he died has revealed he plans to go to the police over the scandal.

Bewildered David Blair, 26, from Penicuik, and his then partner, Clare Ferguson, suffered the loss of their 24-week premature child at the ERI on March 4, 2008.

And like hundreds of other parents whose children were cremated at the council-run facility, David is now having to come to terms with the fact that his child’s ashes were disposed of without his knowledge: A fact that has sparked his ire and a desire to make a statment to Lothian and Borders Police.

He said: “Looking back it seems so obvious but at the time we were only 21 and who were we to question professionals who dealt with this kind of thing all the time? They told us that there would be no ashes and we believed them.”

David’s son, also named David, only survived a matter of hours after delivery but the memory of holding his baby has stayed with him all these years.

He recalled: “He was so wee that I could hold him in one hand. I can remember him gasping for breath but he passed away a few hours later. He was just too small.

“We held a service for him a few days later at Mortonhall and I find it hard to believe now but we just never thought to ask. I lost my dad pretty soon after that and I tried to just put that whole period behind me. It’s all come flooding back now. I just want answers.”

The joiner added: “I’m going to go to the police within the next few days and lodge a complaint . . . what went on at Mortonhall was criminal.”