A Nigerian nurse based in the United Kingdom (UK) Ruth Auta, has been sentenced to three years in prison for child negligence following the tragic death of her 10-week-old son, Joshua Akerele.

The 28-year-old single mother was found guilty of leaving her infant unattended in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours while she worked a shift at the Royal Bolton Hospital in the United Kingdom.

According to reports, Auta returned home to find Joshua unresponsive in his cot on December 20, 2022. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, the baby was pronounced dead an hour after paramedics arrived. Tests revealed that Joshua may have overheated due to being excessively clothed and covered with heavy bedding.

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Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2024. However, her initial claim that she had picked up Joshua from a childminder and found him unresponsive after falling asleep was contradicted by CCTV footage and text messages.

The investigation revealed that Auta had left her accommodation without her child and had instructed the childminder to falsely claim she had cared for Joshua that day. In a shocking turn of events, Auta attempted to flee the country in June 2024 but was apprehended at Gatwick Airport with a one-way ticket to Nigeria.

District Crown Prosecutor Sara Davie delivered the verdict, 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.”

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