A COUPLE who have had to endure the loss of their first baby are having to come to terms with a ruling that he was stillborn.

Scott and Deborah Christie-Lewis from Tid-worth were at Salisbury Coroner's Court on Friday to hear coroner David Masters say he had no alternative but to give that verdict, because he could not ignore overwhelming medical evidence.

He said he had no doubt that Mr Christie-Lewis and his parents-in-law, Gavin and Janet Heath, "believed then as now that they heard a baby cry".

But, he said, the doctors and midwives were adamant that baby Callum had not shown any sign of life after he was delivered.

They were present in the operating theatre, whereas the family were in the reception area 40 yards away, he said.

After the hearing, Mr Christie-Lewis (27) said he and his 25-year-old wife were not happy with the outcome.

They declined to comment further as they were considering legal action against the hospital, they said.

At an earlier hearing, consultant obstetrician Douglas McKenna said that, when he delivered Callum's head, the baby had sucked on his finger. But this was a reflex action, he said, and, once fully delivered, Callum showed no sign of life.

He issued a stillbirth certificate but two days later this was marked void and the hospital issued a neonatal certificate - indicating a baby had shown signs of life.

Brenda Maddy, head of midwifery services, said that this had been done on compassionate grounds.