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

According to the Daily Mail, on December 20, 2022, Auta, a worker at Royal Bolton Hospital, had reportedly left her baby alone in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours to complete her shift.

Upon returning, the 28-year-old single mother discovered her son lifeless in his cot and immediately called 999, reporting that he was not breathing. The infant died an hour after the ambulance arrived despite efforts to resuscitate him.

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

Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2024. Her sentencing was delayed by a month.

While attempting to board a flight to Nigeria on June 6, she was arrested at Gatwick Airport with a one-way ticket.

She had told the police she had collected Joshua from a childminder, fed him, and then fell asleep with him on her bed, claiming she found him unresponsive when she woke up.

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

According to the footage, she left and returned to her accommodation without her baby, 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, said Auta failed to provide the care her baby needed and chose to leave him alone.

The prosecutor said that as a nurse, she should have been aware of the dangers of leaving her child unattended, and her attempts to evade justice further demonstrated her lack of remorse.