Nigerian nurse who left her 10-week-old baby to die, sent to UK jail

Ruth Auta, a Nigerian working as a nurse in the United Kingdom, was on Wednesday sentenced to three years in prison for neglecting her ten-week-old baby, Joshua Akerele, who died while she was at work.

According to the Daily mail, the 28-year-old single mother on December 20, 2022 had left her 10-week-old baby alone in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours on December 20, 2022, to complete her shift.

Upon her return, she discovered her son lifeless in his cot and immediately called 999, reporting that he was not breathing.

Unfortunately, the infant, despite efforts to resuscitate him, died an hour after the ambulance arrived.

Tests revealed that he might have overheated due to excessive layers of clothing and bedding.

During investigations, the 28-year-old mother told the police she had collected the child from a childminder, fed him, and then fell asleep with him on her bed. She claimed she found him unresponsive upon waking.

However, CCTV footage and incriminating text messages retrieved from her story, contradicted her story.

The footage showed Auta leaving and returning to her accommodation without Joshua, and texts revealed she had instructed her childminder to falsely state she was caring for Joshua that day.

The childminder later confirmed she had not seen the baby for several days.

Giving her judgement,  District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, Sara Davie, stated, “Ruth Auta failed to provide the care her baby needed and chose to leave him alone.

As a nurse, she should have been aware of the dangers of leaving her child unattended. Her attempts to evade justice further demonstrate her lack of remorse.”