A nurse, Ruth Auta, has been sentenced to prison after her 10-week-old baby, Joshua Akerele, tragically died while she left him unattended at home to work an eight-hour shift at Royal Bolton Hospital.
Auta, 28, returned home to find her infant son unresponsive. Despite calling paramedics, efforts to resuscitate Joshua were unsuccessful, and he was declared dead at the scene. Initially, Auta lied to the police, claiming she had collected Joshua from his childminder after work, fed him, and then fell asleep beside him, only to wake up and find him unresponsive.
However, when police contacted the childminder, it was revealed that she had not seen Joshua for several days. Further investigations, including CCTV footage, showed Auta leaving her accommodation to go to work at around 6:30 am on December 20, 2022, and returning over eight hours later.
Experts were unable to determine the exact cause of Joshua’s death, though it was suggested he may have overheated due to the layers of clothing and bedding he was wrapped in. Other causes of death could not be ruled out.
Following the childminder’s statement, Auta was arrested and gave no comment during her police interview. She was later released on bail while a full investigation took place.
Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24. On June 6, she was arrested at Gatwick Airport while attempting to board a one-way flight to Nigeria. She was sentenced to three years in prison at Bolton Crown Court.
Sara Davie, a district crown prosecutor for CPS North West, commented on the case: “While she went to work to care for others, Ruth Auta left the person who needed her the most, her son, alone. As a nurse, she should have been aware of the dangers of leaving a baby unattended.”
Davie also noted that Auta showed no remorse throughout the investigation and even attempted to flee the country to avoid facing justice.
“Our thoughts are with those affected by Joshua’s death,” she added.
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