Ruth Auta, a 28-year-old Nigerian nurse based in the United Kingdom, has been sentenced to three years in prison for child negligence, following the tragic death of her 10-week-old son, Joshua Akerele.
The case, which has captured widespread attention, stemmed from Auta’s failure to provide adequate care for her infant while working a shift at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
The incident occurred on December 20, 2022, when Auta reportedly left her infant son unattended in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours while she was on duty.
Upon returning home, she discovered her baby unresponsive in his cot. Despite emergency services arriving promptly and attempting resuscitation efforts, Joshua was pronounced dead an hour later.
An autopsy revealed that the infant may have overheated due to being dressed in excessive clothing and covered with heavy bedding, factors that contributed to his untimely death.
This raised serious concerns about the care provided by Auta, who was later charged with cruelty to a child. Auta pled guilty to the charge at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2024.
Throughout the investigation, inconsistencies in Auta’s story began to emerge. Initially, she claimed that she had picked up her son from a childminder and found him unresponsive after falling asleep together.
However, CCTV footage and text messages contradicted her claims.
Footage showed Auta leaving and returning to her accommodation without her child, and messages revealed that she had instructed the childminder to falsely claim she had cared for Joshua that day.
Further complicating the case, Auta attempted to flee the country in June 2024, just before her trial. She was apprehended at Gatwick Airport with a one-way ticket to Nigeria.
District Crown Prosecutor Sara Davie, in her ruling, emphasized the severity of Auta’s negligence and the breach of trust, stating, “As a nurse, Ruth Auta should have been aware of the dangers of leaving her child unattended.
“Her failure to provide the necessary care and her attempts to evade justice demonstrate her lack of remorse.”
Auta, who was a single mother at the time of the incident, has been sentenced to three years in prison for her role in the death of her son.
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