A Nigerian woman who left her infant son alone to die in a nurse's accommodation in the United Kingdom has been sentenced to prison.
The nurse, 28-year-old Ruth Auta, was sentenced for leaving her 10-week-old son, Joshua Akerele, alone in her accommodation at the Royal Bolton Hospital, UK, while she went to work.
Reports state that Ruth left the accommodation at around 6:30 am on December 20, 2022, and returned more than eight hours later.
When she returned in the afternoon, Ruth quickly called an ambulance, reporting that her son was no longer breathing.
Despite several attempts to revive him, Joshua was pronounced dead that evening.
Following the incident, Ruth tried to flee the country after pleading guilty in court to neglecting her son.
The Bolton Crown Court sentenced her to three years in prison.
Tragically, the cause of Joshua's death remains undetermined. The court noted that he was a healthy baby, but they could not identify the exact reason for his death.
There were suggestions that Joshua might have overheated due to the layers of clothing and bedding used to wrap him, but the exact cause remains unknown.
Initially, Ruth told officers from Greater Manchester Police that she had picked up Joshua from a child caregiver after work on December 20. She claimed that she fell asleep next to him, only to find him unresponsive when she woke up.
However, CCTV footage revealed Ruth leaving her flat alone at 6:47 am and returning without her son at around 3:13 pm.
Messages found on her phone also showed that she had asked the child caregiver to lie to the police and say she had looked after Joshua that day. The caregiver, however, disclosed that she had not seen the baby for several days.
Ruth was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty during a hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court on May 24. The case was adjourned until June 21 for sentencing, but Ruth was arrested at Gatwick Airport on June 6 while attempting to board a one-way flight to Nigeria.
Sara Davie from the Crown Prosecution Service said, "While she went to work to care for others, Ruth Auta left the person who needed her care the most, her son, home alone."
Ms. Davie added that, as a nurse, Ruth should have been aware of the risks associated with leaving her baby unattended and must now face the consequences of her terrible decision that day.
She further remarked that Ruth had shown no remorse throughout the case, misled the police about her childcare arrangements, and attempted to flee justice.
"Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those affected by Joshua’s death," Ms. Davie concluded.
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