Nigerian Nurse in UK Jailed After Leaving Baby Home Alone to Work, Resulting in Child's Death
- A nurse has been jailed for three years after leaving her 10-week-old baby alone while she went to work, resulting in the child's death
- Ruth Auta, 28, returned home to find her son unresponsive after over eight hours away, with no conclusive cause of death determined
- Despite pleading guilty to child cruelty, Auta attempted to flee the country before being apprehended at Gatwick Airport
A nurse who left her 10-week-old baby at home while she went to work has been sentenced to three years in prison. Ruth Auta, 28, left her son, Joshua Akerele, alone in her hospital accommodation at Royal Bolton Hospital on the morning of December 20, 2022.
She returned more than eight hours later, only to find the infant unresponsive.
Source: UGC
At 3:24 p.m., Auta called emergency services, reporting that her baby was not breathing. Despite resuscitation attempts, Joshua was pronounced dead at 4:40 p.m.
While a definitive cause of death could not be established, the court heard that overheating due to excessive layers of clothing and bedding might have been a factor.
Mother jailed for child cruelty after baby dies
Auta, who initially told Greater Manchester Police she had picked up Joshua from a childminder after work, was exposed when CCTV footage revealed she had left her flat at 6:47 a.m. without her son and returned at 3:13 p.m.
Messages found on her phone also showed she had asked the childminder to lie to the police about caring for Joshua that day. The childminder told officers she had not seen the baby for several days.
After pleading guilty to child cruelty in May 2023, Auta tried to flee the country, but was arrested at Gatwick Airport in June as she attempted to board a flight to Nigeria with a one-way ticket. On Tuesday, Bolton Crown Court sentenced her to three years in prison.
"Whilst she went to work to provide care for others, Ruth Auta left the very person who needed her care the most home alone," said Sara Davie of the Crown Prosecution Service. Davie emphasized that, as a nurse, Auta should have been aware of the risks of leaving her baby unattended, adding that Auta had shown little remorse and misled authorities throughout the investigation.
"Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who have been affected by Joshua's death," Davie added.
Mum shattered as unborn baby dies
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a Nigerian lady has tearfully recounted how her unborn baby died in her womb.
The lady identified as @everyone_hates_me_8 on TikTok cried uncontrollably as she reminisced on how the news of her pregnancy made her so excited at the time.
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Source: Legit.ng
