Baby critically ill: Mom, 20, held
The mother of a three-month-old baby has been arrested by UK police over concerns she may have tried to kill him.
|||London - The mother of a three-month-old baby has been arrested over concerns she may have tried to kill him.
The baby boy was critically ill in hospital on Sunday night while the 20-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were being questioned by detectives.
The alarm was raised after the child was brought to the city hospital on Saturday afternoon and concerns were raised about his welfare. The pair were then arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the family home not far from Gloucester Cathedral.
On Sunday, the house was a crime scene under police guard as forensic specialists investigated.
The family’s next door neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘I don’t know the couple at all well - just to wave to if I see them in the street. They have been living there about 18 months. I knew nothing about it [the alleged incident] until I got home at about 6pm and saw the police cars outside and the house cordoned off.’
The neighbour’s wife said: ‘I knew something was wrong when I saw an ambulance and a paramedic car outside on [Saturday] morning at about 10am. ‘Then later there was police blue tape around the front garden and a lot of officers coming and going.
‘I don’t know the couple’s names or anything about them. I used to see her out sometimes when she was pregnant but only to say hello to. This is a terrible shock for us. It’s so sad.’
Police confirmed the woman arrested was the victim’s mother but would not comment on the arrested man.A member of staff at a nearby supermarket said he regularly saw the mother with her baby when she went in to shop.
He added: ‘But the last couple of times I saw her she did not have the baby with her and I wondered why.
‘I didn’t like to ask but I thought it was odd that she would leave a baby that young with anyone.’
Another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘We don’t know the family and I don’t think many people do. The family that lives there keep themselves to themselves. To be honest if it wasn’t for the police cars and police tape I don’t think any of us would have noticed anything had happened.’
A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesman said: ‘Police were called to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital at 11am on Saturday July 30 after concerns were raised for a baby’s welfare. A baby boy, aged three months, was brought to the hospital with serious injuries.
‘He now remains in a critical but stable condition at Bristol Children’s Hospital.
‘We wish to reassure the local community that this is thought to be an isolated and contained incident, with no wider risk to the public.’
The suspects, from Gloucester, were in police custody last night and no charges had been made.
Daily Mail