Nigerian Jailed In UK Over Baby’s Death
Ruth Auta, a Nigerian nurse working in the United Kingdom, has been sentenced to three years in prison following the death of her 10-week-old son, Joshua Akerele.
The sentencing took place at Bolton Crown Court, where Auta was found guilty of child cruelty.
On December 20, 2022, Auta left Joshua unattended in her accommodation at Royal Bolton Hospital for eight hours while she completed her nursing shift.
The child was discovered unresponsive after Auta called an ambulance at 15:24 pm. Despite efforts to revive him, Joshua was pronounced dead at 16:40 pm.
Initially, Auta told Greater Manchester police that she had collected Joshua from a childminder and later found him unresponsive after falling asleep beside him.
However, CCTV footage revealed that Auta had left her flat at 06:47 am without Joshua and returned alone at 15:13 pm.
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Additionally, messages on her phone showed she had attempted to deceive authorities by asking the childminder to falsely claim she had cared for Joshua that day.
Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24.
The case was adjourned for sentencing, but Auta was arrested on June 6 at Gatwick Airport while trying to board a one-way flight to Nigeria.
Sara Davie from the Crown Prosecution Service stated, “While she went to work to provide care for other people, Ruth Auta left the very person who needed her care the most home alone.”
The court highlighted that although the exact cause of Joshua’s death could not be determined, he may have overheated due to excessive clothing and bedding.
Davie emphasized that as a nurse, Auta should have been aware of the dangers of leaving her baby unattended and must now face the consequences of her actions.
