text: This is the shocking moment a toddler was left hanging by her neck as she tried to climb out of her cot - and was only saved because her mother was watching her on the baby monitor. Ophelia Conant had managed to crawl backwards through a gap in the cot at her home in Holmer Green, Buckinghamshire, but was left hanging mid air by her neck. The furniture boss who supplied the beds, Phillip Dickens, who was described as the 'king of DIY' was today fined £50,000 and given a suspended prison sentence. Ophelia Conant managed to crawl backwards out of her cot and get trapped between the horizontal handrail . The 19-month-old was left dangling mid air by her neck and was only saved because her mother had been watching her on the baby monitor . The 19-month-old was only saved when her mother, Louise Conant, happened to be watching the incident unfold on a baby monitor. Days later a second toddler was found dangling from the £450 bed with his forehead jammed against the horizontal handrail. Both mothers had purchased the Nutkin three-drawer cotbeds from Dicken's company, Baumhaus Ltd, which had the beds produced in China and imported back into Britain for distribution. Amersham Crown Court heard Mrs Conant had put Ophelia in the cotbed for her lunchtime sleep on April 16, 2013, when she saw her getting into difficulty via the video monitoring system. She rushed upstairs to find her daughter hanging by her neck, which had become lodged in a gap between the end of the bed and a horizontal handrail. Judge Karen Holt told Dickens: 'Seeing her daughter on the baby video monitor screen hanging by her neck was, using her words, beyond description and completely traumatic to her. 'One can only imagine the horror that mother must have felt. In her view, it is without doubt the fact she had a video monitor that saved her daughter's life.' She added: 'This is a serious offence because it came through your negligence. It could have caused the loss of life of babies. 'The crown's case against the company and you was, with your negligence, this unsafe product was put on the market. 'Clearly, you did not act with all due diligence, or take all reasonable precautions to make sure such a situation would not occur. 'The product itself was dealing with the most vulnerable people in society, and I know that you accept that.' Louise Conant with her daughter Ophelia today after what she described as a 'traumatic' experience . Judge Holt said the design of the cot 'could have been fatal' and added that although Dickens and the company had been 'naive and negligent', there was 'very strong mitigation' on their behalf. Nine days after Ophelia's incident, Deborah Turner, from Northamptonshire found her son dangling on the outside of the cot with his forehead jammed against the horizontal handrail. 'It took both her and her mother to lift her son back through the gap,' said Judge Holt. Mrs Conant complained to Trading Standards at Buckinghamshire County Council and officers took away the cotbed before confronting Baumhaus. They were shown a copy of the video of Ophelia and immediately recalled all the cots it had sent out around the country. The court was told no health and safety tests were carried out in the UK, with the only quality control being made in the Chinese factory, which did not comply with British safety standards. Following test reports and an offer from Dickens to give Mrs Conant a part-refund, Baumhaus was served a product recall notice in July 2013, which recovered 93 per cent of the 212 cotbeds sold. The following month Trading Standards received three lab test reports which identified failures, including test parameters and clauses relating to strength of certain parts, finger, head and neck entrapment, and BSI standards markings. Thames Valley Police visited Baumhaus in October and seized computer equipment. A month later Dickens was interviewed under caution during which he confirmed the company had designed the Nutkin cotbed, which was produced in China and imported back into Britain for distribution. The court heard the prototype had been tested and passed in 2010 but the product placed on the market in 2013 had different dimensions and Dickens had no proper quality control in this country. In mitigation Sunyana Sharma told the court neither Dickens nor Baumhaus set out to harm children with their cotbed, and the company accepted that it failed in not having proper quality control. She added that the company had acted quickly to remove the product from distribution and done all it could to trace the remaining cots, all of which were accepted by Judge Holt. Phillip Dickens, company director of furniture supplier Baumhaus Ltd, which distributed the beds, was today given a suspended prison sentence for placing an unsafe product on the market . Judge Holt described this as a serious offence but said the court acknowledged naivety and negligence on the part of the defendant, who at the time had no manufacturing experience, kept no technical product notes, and relied on an external company for testing to assess compliance with relevant British Standards. Dickens, described as 'the king of DIY' on a profile on the Baumhaus website, entered pleas on the company's behalf at an earlier hearing, admitting two counts of placing an unsafe product on the market between January 2010 and July 2013. The 38-year-old, of Burnley, Lancashire, was given a three month prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He also pleaded guilty to a similar charge relating to his company, which is based near Bicester, Oxfordshire, and ordered to pay £500 to the two mothers. Baumhaus was given a £12,000 fine and Dickens and his company also face prosecution costs of £35,653. Judge Holt said she felt able to suspend the jail sentence because of his lack of intent to cause injury in supplying the potentially deadly cots to the market. She added: 'It is very difficult to put a figure on the clear distress that both these ladies suffered.' In a statement read through solicitor Tim Healy, Dickens and Baumhaus said they 'sincerely regretted' any distress caused to the families. Speaking outside court Dickens' solicitor, Mr Healy, said: 'Baumhaus Limited and Philip Dickens wish to express their sincere regret for any distress caused to the families effected. 'Health and safety remains of paramount concern to Mr Dickens and the company.' Speaking after the hearing Mrs Conant said the court case brought an element of closure to the nightmare experience of seeing her daughter trapped by her neck in her cot. She said: 'I bought what I thought was the best for Ophelia - a premium quality cot bed. But it turned out to be a living hell. Standards Officers Rebecca Kaya (right) and Kirit Vadia (left) examine the Nutkin three-drawer cotbed . 'For a long time afterwards it gave me nightmares, and it made me nervous about putting Ophelia to bed. 'The video monitor definitely saved her life. I'd never have thought to buy one, but a friend suggested it. Now I'd urge every parent to consider a video monitor for their child.' Trading Standards Officer Rebecca Kaya, who led the investigation, said the case demonstrated the department's commitment to protecting families from products posing a safety risk, and was an example of the tough measures they were prepared to take. She said: 'This case highlights the need to be very careful buying online. Before clicking the "buy" button, make sure you have a manufacturer's code, product code and full contact details of the retailer, including a cancellation process in case you need to return the product, or there is a safety problem.' Ms Kaya added that they believe there are still 12 cotbeds out there that weren't reached during the product recall.
target: Ophelia Conant managed to crawl backwards through cot and get trapped .
  Her mother was watching baby monitor and found her hanging by neck .
  Days later another toddler found dangling in £450 bed from same company .
  Phillip Dickens, owner of furniture supplier, was given suspended sentence .