Nurse who left baby home alone jailed

A mother who left her ten-week-old baby home alone while she worked at a hospital has been jailed.

On 20 December 2022, Ruth Auta, 28, left her nurses accommodation shortly after 6.30am to carry out her shift at Royal Bolton Hospital, leaving behind her son Joshua Akerele. She returned over eight hours later.

At 3.24pm 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.

Experts could not confirm the cause of Joshua's death, he was a healthy baby in all respects. He may have overheated due to the layers of clothing and bedding he was wrapped in, but other potential causes of death could not be ruled out.

Auta initially told the police that she had collected Joshua from a childminder after she had 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.

In her police interview, Auta gave no comment to the questions asked. She was released on bail whilst a full police investigation was carried out.

Police seized CCTV footage showing Auta leaving her flat at 6.47am without her baby and returning home alone at 3.13pm. Messages were found on her phone to the childminder asking her to tell the police she had looked after Joshua that day. However, the childminder told officers that she had not seen Joshua for a few days.

Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates' court on 24 May 2024 and the case was adjourned to 21 June 2024 for sentence.

On 6 June 2024, Auta was arrested at Gatwick Airport whilst attempting to board a flight to Nigeria. She had purchased a one-way ticket.

Yesterday (10 September 2024) she was sentenced to three years' imprisonment at Bolton Crown court.

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."