Baby ‘murdered’ after warnings not to send her home were ignored
Hospital staff repeatedly told social workers that couple were incapable of caring for daughter
A BABY was murdered by her parents at the age of 10 weeks, eight days after social workers ignored repeated warnings from medical staff and allowed them to take her home, a court has heard.
Lily-mai Saint George died at Great Ormond Street Hospital in February 2018 as a result of head injuries associated with being violently shaken. She also had 18 rib fractures, two fractures to her legs and severe bruising.
The infant had been born prematurely in November 2017 and spent the first two months of her life in Barnet Hospital.
However, on Jan 25 2018 social workers from Haringey council – the same local authority involved in the Baby P and Victoria Climbié cases – allowed her parents, Lauren Saint George and Darren Hurrell, to take her home.
Wood Green Crown Court heard that hospital staff had repeatedly expressed the view that the couple, who had been homeless for several years, were incapable of looking after their daughter.
A neonatal nurse had said she was horrified when Ms Saint George told her she “hated” the noises her daughter made. In another meeting to discuss the baby, an angry Ms Saint George, who had suffered from mental health problems, stormed out, the jury was told.
Members of the neonatal team said they were worried that the child was at risk of neglect and inquired about the possibility of allowing a mother and baby unit to supervise Lily-mai’s care. However, the lead social worker Theresa Ferguson, from Haringey child and family services, allegedly told the hospital team that this was not an option.
Sally O’neill QC, prosecuting, said: “Almost all of the professionals at the hospital were opposed to the baby being discharged into the parents’ care at home and had expressed their concerns about the parents’ ability to meet the baby’s emotional, developmental and physical needs on many occasions to the social services.
“But, nonetheless, the decision was made to discharge the baby into the care of her parents and the hospital had to accept that and deal with the situation as best they could.”
The day before Lily-mai arrived home, police were called to a domestic incident at the family’s flat in Duckett’s Green, north London.
On the same day Ms Ferguson made a referral for a meeting to explore how the local authority could intervene in the care of the baby – but she went on annual leave the following day.
Ms O’neill told the jury: “To describe this timing as unfortunate is perhaps to understate the problem.”
A duty social worker visited the family on Jan 26 and Ms Ferguson made a home visit when she returned to work on Jan 30, followed by the health visitor, Alberta Nyantaki, the same day. She noted that Ms Saint George was in a state of “extreme exhaustion” and was “distant” with her baby. Ms O’neill said the health worker expressed “serious concerns” about the family to Ms Ferguson but was reassured when she was told that the threshold for a child care protection plan had been met and the legal process had been started.
Lily-mai was admitted to hospital with severe head injuries the next day.
The defendants met when Mr Hurrell was living in supported accommodation in Enfield and Ms Saint George was homeless. When she became pregnant with Lily-mai, they were evicted from the hostel, the court heard. The pair were provided accommodation in early January 2018 after their baby was born.
Lily-mai was taken to North Middlesex Hospital on Jan 31 after Ms Saint George made a 999 call and a CT scan revealed her brain was bleeding. She was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital but her condition worsened and doctors decided not to resuscitate her.
Mr Hurrell and Ms Saint George, both 25, deny murder, manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16 years old.
The trial, which is expected to last five weeks, continues.
‘Almost all of the professionals at the hospital were opposed to the baby being discharged into the parents’ care’