Asylum seeker starving report ‘ fake news’
● Father said it was a miracle his son had survived without care for several days
The par t ner of an asylum s e e ke r has s p o ke n o f t he “f a ke ne ws” s u r r o u n d i ng reports of her death, which said she and their son had been “starving”.
Eric Nnanna said he and Mercy Baguma and one- yearold Adriel had been living on ver y l i ttle money, but they were caring well for themselves.
The couple could not work because of t heir i mmigration status, but there were charities and “people there to help”, he said. Ms Baguma was discovered dead at her f l at i n Glasgow on 22 August – four days after her last contact with friends on 18 August.
Mr Nnanna alerted police, who discovered Ms Baguma’s body when he called round after texts and phone calls went unanswered.
He had knocked on her door two days before, but left thinki ng she had moved to new accommodation.
Police s ai d Ms Baguma’s death was unexplained, but not suspicious.
Mr Nnanna, 30, said the circumstances of Ms Baguma’s death had been misrepre - sented and denied suggest i ons mother or child had been starving before his partner died.
He said the boy was malnourished because he had been alone without food or care for several days.
He t old a Glasgow newspaper: “There was a l ot of f a k e n e ws g o i n g a r o u n d , the part where they said she starved to death was entirely wrong.
“A s y l u m s e e k e r s a n d refugees do not get a lot of s uppor t f r om t he govern - ment, but there are charities that help.
“To say that Mercy died of starvation or hunger is wrong. There were people there to help.”
Mr Nnanna said it had been a miracle that his son had survived. His son had finally let out a cry after repeated calls
at Ms Baguma’s door the day she was discovered.
“I don’t know where he got the strength from,” Mr Nnanna said. “Because he had been there for so many days.
“When t hey [ t he p o l i c e ] opened the door they said I shouldn’t come into the flat.
“They said they saw Mercy’s body lying in her hallway and Adriel was in his cot. He was found there by them.”
Mr Nnanna said his son was thin when he picked him up and the baby’s sleepsuit was “stained with blood”.
He described his son’s reaction, saying: “It was something that I just can’t imagine. He couldn’t even stand.
“Adriel, when he sees me, he is always shouting, ‘ Daddy, daddy, daddy’ and I would go and carry him and lift him up.
“But he couldn’t even recognise me. It is a miracle he survived.”
Friends have suggested Ms Baguma, 34, had medical conditions and Mr Nnanna said nothing about why she might have died.
The results of a post- mortem examination are expected in the next few days. Ms Baguma, who was from Uganda, had moved to Scotland 14 years ago to study in Paisley.
She had been forced to give up work in the UK after her limited leave to remain status had expired.
Glasgow- based charity Positive Action in Housing, which had contact with Ms Baguma 11 days before her body was discovered, broke the story of her death on 25 August.
The charity said its reference to the baby “starving” was in relation to the period Adriel was in the flat from 18 to 22 August.
“It was not a reference to mother and baby’s general condition before 18 August,” a statement said.