A nurse whose 10-week-old baby died after being left home alone for more than eight hours has been jailed.
Ruth Auta appeared at Bolton Crown Court last week (Tuesday 10 September), where the court heard that she left her nurses’ accommodation shortly after 6:30am on 20 December 2022 to carry out her shift at Royal Bolton Hospital – leaving behind her son, Joshua Akerele, in the process.
The 28-year-old returned more than eight hours later, and then, at 3:24pm, called for an ambulance reporting that her son “was not breathing”.
Despite attempts by paramedics to resuscitate him, Joshua sadly could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 4:40pm, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed.
Experts could not confirm the cause of Joshua’s death, and say he was “a healthy baby in all respects”.
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It’s thought that 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”.
Nurse, Ruth Auta, 28, left her 10-week-old baby, Joshua, home alone for over 8 hours while she worked her shift at Royal Bolton Hospital in December 2022.
Auta initially told the police that she had collected Joshua from a childminder after she had finished work, and then took him back home, fed him, placed him on her bed and fell asleep next to him, before claiming that it was when she woke up she found him unresponsive, however, police seized CCTV footage showing Auta leaving her flat at 6:47am without her baby and returning home alone at 3:13pm.
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Messages to the childminder asking her to tell the police she had looked after Joshua that day were also found on on Auta’s phone, but the childminder told officers she had not seen Joshua for a few days.
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.
Despite the fact Auta gave no comment to the questions asked in her police interview, she was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates Court on 24 May 2024, with case adjourned to 21 June 2024 for sentence, and finally sentenced to three years in prison at Bolton Crown Court last week.
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Sara added “Ruth 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.”
Speaking following the sentencing last week, Sara Davie, who is the 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.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Salford confirms another ex-player as new CEO of phoenix rugby club
Danny Jones
As Salford turns the page of a new chapter in its rugby league history, ex-Red Devils player Ryan Brierley has been announced as the new chief executive officer (CEO).
His appointment was confirmed on Wednesday, 24 December, giving Salford rugby fans some fresh hope over the festive period.
Brierley, who played as a full back at Salford Red Devils from 2022 before leaving for Oldham RLFC halfway through last season earlier this year, follows fellow former player Mason Caton-Brown in returning to the team in a leadership capacity.
Sharing the news on his own social media, he wrote: “Incredibly honoured to announce I have been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Salford RLFC.”
His official statement goes on to read: “I would like to place on record my gratitude to the board members Malcolm Crompton, Mason Caton Brown and Paul Hancock for this opportunity. I would also like to thank the RFL and Salford City Council for their continued support.
“Lastly, but most importantly, to the Salford fans: what we had to go through last year was heartbreaking. I think I can speak to the wider Rugby League community and echo the sentiments of all fans that no club should ever go through that experience.
“Thank you for letting me lead this organisation into a new era. I’ve always said Salford people are my people and I will protect this club, with its best interests at heart. It is important [that] expectations are managed, and patience is required.”
He signed off by simply asking for the same support he was afforded as a fan, adding: “I have no doubt in my mind that you will go above and beyond, it’s just what Salford fans do…”
Led by the aforementioned Caton-Brown (a retired winger who played for the Red Devils between 2014-26), as well as another pair of directors in Hancock and Crompton, the Salford phoenix club has officially been given a Championship license for 2026.
Although relegation from the Super League and liquidation after 152 years were dark days for the club, this new consortium has already provided fans with some promising signs.
Besides saving the Salford sporting institution from total extinction, having previous members of the old outfit who know the bones, the stadium, the culture and the city so well is obviously a big bonus.
For now, it is a race against time to get a squad ready for the season opener against Brierley’s last team, Oldham – though contracts for a head coach and several players have reportedly been “pre-agreed”.
Featured Images — John Moorhouse (via Geograph)/supplied (via Rumpus PR)
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Netflix drops the first trailer for upcoming Peaky Blinders film
Danny Jones
It looks like Christmas has come early for TV drama fans and cinephiles, because Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Popcorn at the ready – even the teaser alone has got us fired up.
ln just 70 seconds, they’ve managed to pull us right back in, and we cannot wait to see Cillian Murphy back in full-on Tommy Shelby mode.
Not exaggerating when we say we have LITERAL chills.
As you can see, they certainly haven’t scrimped on the budget with the first-ever feature-length Peaky Blinders film, neither in terms of production value nor the cast.
Then again, having already hosted the likes of Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and others in the series itself, as well as going on to become one of the most successful BBC shows of all time, they were never going to.
We’re sure you spotted plenty of them for yourselves, but the debut trailer for The Immortal Man gives us not only our first glimpses of now Oscar-winning Murphy, 49, back in the saddle (both figuratively and literally) but also fellow blockbuster Irish actor, Barry Keoghan.
Other big names set to appear in the movie – set for a limited release in theatres before launching exclusively on Netflix – include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. It still remains unclear, however, as to how any of these characters will knit into the new season.
It’s also worth noting that the trailer shares a little snippet of the historical context, this continuation of the Shelby story is playing into, as we see what looks to be Nazi figures meeting on screen.
Creator Steven Knight has already confirmed that the plot will fast-forward some years to meet back up with Tommy at the outset of WWII and his ancestral home of Birmingham during the Blitz.
Having already confirmed 6 March as the theatrical release date ahead of it going live on Netflix a fortnight later, the anticipation was seriously starting to ramp; this latest look has only added to the tinderbox of excitement.
What do you make of the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer, and will you be watching it?
Emily Sergeant -
16th September 2024 
