Ruth Auta, a Nigerian nurse working in the United Kingdom, has been 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 reportedly left Joshua alone in her nursing accommodation for eight hours on December 20, 2022, to complete her shift.
When she returned, she found her son unresponsive in his cot and immediately called 999, stating that he was not breathing.
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Despite resuscitation efforts, the infant died an hour after the ambulance arrived. Tests indicated that he may have overheated due to excessive layers of clothing and bedding.
Auta, who was employed at Royal Bolton Hospital, faced charges of child cruelty.
She pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2024, but her sentencing was postponed for a month.
On June 6, she was apprehended at Gatwick Airport while trying to board a flight to Nigeria with a one-way ticket.
Auta told the police that she had picked up Joshua from a childminder, fed him, and then fallen asleep with him on her bed, only to find him unresponsive when she woke up.
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However, CCTV footage and incriminating text messages disproved her account.
The footage showed Auta leaving and returning to her accommodation without Joshua, while text messages revealed she had instructed the childminder to falsely claim she was caring for Joshua that day.
The childminder later confirmed she had not seen the baby for several days.
In her judgment, 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.”
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