UK Court Jailed Nigerian Nurse Whose Baby Died After She Left Him Alone At Home
A Nigerian nurse based in the UK, Ruth Auta, has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaving her ten-week-old baby to die while she went to work at a hospital.
Ruth Auta, a 28-year-old mother, abandoned Joshua Akerele in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours so she could work her shift on December 20, 2022.
When she returned from work, she found her son lifeless in his cot and dialled 999, telling operators her son was not breathing.
The infant was pronounced dead an hour later with tests showing he may have ‘overheated’ due to the layers of clothing and bedding he was wrapped in.
Auta initially told the police that she had collected Joshua from a childminder after she finished work, took him back home, fed him, placed him on her bed, and then fell asleep next to him.
She claimed that when she woke up, she found him unresponsive.
Later in her police interview, Auta gave no comment to questions asked and was freed on bail pending further investigation.
Auta was charged after police found CCTV of her leaving and entering her accommodation without Joshua on the day of the tragedy.
Officers also discovered incriminating texts in which she urged her childminder to say she was looking after Joshua that day.
The childminder told officers she had not seen the infant for a number of days.
Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ court on May 24, 2024, with her case adjourned by a month for sentence.
On June 6, the nurse who worked at Royal Bolton Hospital tried to flee the country. But was detained at Gatwick while attempting to board the flight to her Nigeria, having purchased a one-way ticket.
Auta was sentenced to three years in jail when she appeared at Bolton Crown Court on 10 September.
Sara Davie, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: ‘Whilst she went to work to provide care for other people, Ruth Auta left the very person who needed her care the most home alone.
‘As a nurse, she should have known the dangers of leaving her baby unattended. As she begins her sentence, she must now live with the consequences of the terrible decision she made that day.
‘Auta has failed to show remorse throughout the case. She misled police about her childcare arrangements and then tried to evade justice by attempting to flee the country.
‘Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who been affected by Joshua’s death.’
Prosecutors said she left her nurse’s accommodation shortly after 6.30am to carry out her shift leaving behind her Joshua.
At 3.24 pm Auta called for an ambulance reporting that her son was not breathing.
Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Joshua could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 4.40pm.
An inquest into Joshua’s death was opened and adjourned in Bolton in January this year.