A two-week-old baby was accidentally suffocated by his mother's partner who fell asleep while feeding him in bed on Christmas Day.

An inquest heard that Michael Lovric stopped breathing when he was smothered by the arm of Anthony Edwards.

When the baby's mother Sandra Lovric awoke she realised that Michael was not breathing and desperately tried to revive him.

Michael was rushed to hospital but died despite attempts by staff there to save him.

At the inquest into his death yesterday, Assistant Deputy Coroner Paul Marks warned all parents about the dangers of sleeping in the same bed as very young children.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said: "I have been struck by the obvious date the death occurred and the tragic circumstances surrounding it.

"Nevertheless I need to comment that this was a preventable death. Overlaying is well recognised as a very dangerous practice and children should not sleep in bed with parents; they should sleep separately."

The inquest was told that shortly after Michael was born on December 6 he was taken home by his mother to the couple's house in Ewart Street, Great Horton, where he would normally sleep in a Moses basket.

But on Christmas Eve Miss Lovric, who also has a seven-year-old daughter Courtney, was feeling tired and had asked Mr Edwards to give Michael a feed at about 1am.

She went to sleep while Mr Edwards fed Michael milk in bed.

At the hearing yesterday Miss Lovric wept as Mr Mark read parts of her statement in which she described how she then awoke at about 6am and realised the horror of what had happened.

She said: "I could not see Michael in his basket. I looked in bed and I could see Anthony was asleep still in the position he was when he was feeding Michael. The top part of his arm was partially covering Michael's face. His face looked like a China doll."

In his statement Mr Edwards said that everything had been going really well for the couple and they had been looking forward to Christmas Day.

He said: "I took over the feed to allow Sandra to get some sleep. Sandra was asleep; I laid on my left side and placed Michael in between us.

"I must have fallen asleep. The next thing I remember was Sandra panicking, saying 'Anthony you're on top of him.'"

Mr Edwards said that he loved Michael as he would his own child adding that he was sorry and upset at what had happened.

Consultant pathologist Dr Philip Batman, confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to overlaying.