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Desperate mum who left baby to die is spared jail
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| Manisha Ruttan |
A desperate mum who left her baby to die in a carrier bag on a roof walked free from the Old Bailey.
Manisha Ruttan, 18, fled her Mauritian homeland fearing persecution from her family after becoming pregnant outside of marriage.
She convinced her parents to pay for a hairdressing course in Ireland and then travelled illegally to a house in Mitcham Lane, Streatham Park, where she gave birth alone in a bathroom on the night of March 3 and 4.
Believing the baby was dead, she dumped it on the roof in a carrier bag, where neighbours found it the next day "blue and very cold".
The court heard how the child died that day in St George's Hospital, Tooting, of hypothermia, having also suffered extensive blood loss before or after birth.
The umbilical chord had not been clamped and it is unknown whether the boy would have survived even before he was put on the roof.
Prosecutor Fiona Horlick told the Old Bailey: "She was in a state of panic, didn't know what to do and said she was frightened."
Miss Horlick said Ruttan "had limited sex education" and "knew little of the technicalities of child birth."
Benn Maguire, defending, said Ruttan was suffering from depression following the incident which had been made worse by the death of her dad in Mauritius.
He was stabbed to death by the brother of the baby's dad following the birth, the court was told.
Judge David Paget said: "This is a truly tragic case and in my judgment you deserve pity rather than censure and help rather than punishment.
"I accept you were desperate and in denial and simply did not know where to turn."
Ruttan, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to manslaughter was given a three-year community order, supervision order and 60 days of basic skills learning and remedial work last Friday.
The judge said he would not recommend Ruttan for deportation as she still fears reprisals from family members if she returns.
3:42pm Friday 21st March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Moose, slightly south of the river on 5:24pm Fri 21 Mar 08
How can she walk away from the court with a big smile on her face....Does she not realise that she has killed her own child?
How can she walk away from the court with a big smile on her face....Does she not realise that she has killed her own child?
Posted by: Croyboy on 11:33am Sat 22 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Moose[/bold] wrote:
How can she walk away from the court with a big smile on her face....Does she not realise that she has killed her own child?[/quote] Hey, cool it Moose: you're judging Third World traditions by First World morality.
Just be thankful [bold]we[/bold] aren't going to be lumbered with the cost of this particular child's upbringing!
Moose wrote:
How can she walk away from the court with a big smile on her face....Does she not realise that she has killed her own child?
Hey, cool it Moose: you're judging Third World traditions by First World morality.
Just be thankful
we aren't going to be lumbered with the cost of this particular child's upbringing!
Posted by: big steve, lewes on 10:17am Sun 23 Mar 08
[quote]Hey, cool it Moose: you're judging Third World traditions by First World morality.
Just be thankful we aren't going to be lumbered with the cost of this particular child's upbringing![/quote]
So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?
I read this story and thought it was pretty tragic. However you see this story as having a happy ending because the death of a child will save the taxpayer some money.
All sounds very moral I must say!
Hey, cool it Moose: you're judging Third World traditions by First World morality.
Just be thankful we aren't going to be lumbered with the cost of this particular child's upbringing!
So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?
I read this story and thought it was pretty tragic. However you see this story as having a happy ending because the death of a child will save the taxpayer some money.
All sounds very moral I must say!
Posted by: Croyboy on 9:21am Mon 24 Mar 08
big steve[quote]So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?[/quote]
I see myself as [bold]not[/bold] travelling anywhere "illegally", and [bold]not[/bold] dumping my new-born kids.
Now let me ask [italic]you[/italic] a question: why should the British tax-payer be required to spend money extorted from us supposedly for the purpose of providing services and facilities for the [italic]British[/italic] people to look after people and their offspring from other parts of the world?
big steve
So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?
I see myself as
not travelling anywhere "illegally", and
not dumping my new-born kids.
Now let me ask
you a question: why should the British tax-payer be required to spend money extorted from us supposedly for the purpose of providing services and facilities for the
British people to look after people and their offspring from other parts of the world?
Posted by: Croyboy on 9:21am Mon 24 Mar 08
big steve[quote]So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?[/quote]
I see myself as [bold]not[/bold] travelling anywhere "illegally", and [bold]not[/bold] dumping my new-born kids.
Now let me ask [italic]you[/italic] a question: why should the British tax-payer be required to spend money extorted from us supposedly for the purpose of providing services and facilities for the [italic]British[/italic] people to look after people and their offspring from other parts of the world?
big steve
So where exactly do you see yourself fitting into "first world morality " ?
I see myself as
not travelling anywhere "illegally", and
not dumping my new-born kids.
Now let me ask
you a question: why should the British tax-payer be required to spend money extorted from us supposedly for the purpose of providing services and facilities for the
British people to look after people and their offspring from other parts of the world?
Posted by: Tigs on 10:52am Wed 26 Mar 08
I feel sorry for her father being killed. What did he do to deserve that? Maybe if they educated the women in these backward countries or allowed them to have protection then she wouldn't have been in this situation. However, we can't say that Britain is any better as we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.
I feel sorry for her father being killed. What did he do to deserve that? Maybe if they educated the women in these backward countries or allowed them to have protection then she wouldn't have been in this situation. However, we can't say that Britain is any better as we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.
Posted by: JonJo, london on 11:29pm Wed 26 Mar 08
I feel sorry for you Tigs , them knuckles of your`s must be sore as hell!!
I feel sorry for you Tigs , them knuckles of your`s must be sore as hell!!
Posted by: Croyboy on 9:01am Thu 27 Mar 08
Tigs wrote: [quote]we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.[/quote]
Indeed we do, Tigs. Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that in countries like Holland, if a teenage girl has a baby she won't get a council dwelling, and will be required to live at home?
Naa, surely not!
Tigs wrote:
we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.
Indeed we do, Tigs. Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that in countries like Holland, if a teenage girl has a baby she won't get a council dwelling, and will be required to live at home?
Naa, surely not!
Posted by: Croyboy on 9:03am Thu 27 Mar 08
Tigs wrote: [quote]we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.[/quote]
Indeed we do, Tigs. Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that in countries like Holland, if a teenage girl has a baby she won't get a council dwelling, and will be required to live at home?
Naa, surely not!
Tigs wrote:
we still have the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe.
Indeed we do, Tigs. Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that in countries like Holland, if a teenage girl has a baby she won't get a council dwelling, and will be required to live at home?
Naa, surely not!
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