Health visitor gives evidence in trial over death of baby Imram

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A HEALTH visitor told a jury today of his dealings with the mother of Baby Imran, the seven month old baby who it’s alleged died as a result of neglect at his home in Luton.

Denford Chifamba was giving evidence at the end of the first week of the trial in which the baby’s mother and grandmother deny cruelty charges and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The prosecution allege Baby Imran’s mother, Jessica Price and her mother Angela Price did nothing when he failed to make progress and his weight dramatically dropped in the last few days of his life.

It is claimed by the prosecution that despite it being obvious that Imran was “failing to thrive,” the women failed to seek medical help or alert health professionals.

The jury at Luton crown court have been told that the baby died on January 17 2014 at his home in Morris Close, Luton because he didn’t get enough food and fluid.

The prosecution say that when he died, Baby Imran had lost 17 percent of his body weight in just a few days.

It’s alleged Jessica Price was frequently told that she should take her baby son to their local clinic where the child could be weighed and it’s growth monitored.

But, the court has been told, it was advice she ignored.

Jessica Price, 23, and Angela Price, 62, both of Morris Close, Luton, plead not guilty to cruelty to a person under 16 by failing to provide the baby with adequate food and drink.

They plead not guilty to a second charge of cruelty to a child by failing to obtain medical aid for the infant when he failed to thrive.

Both deny causing or allowing the death of Baby Imran and Angela Price alone denies a charge of causing or allowing a child to suffer severe physical harm.

At the start of the trial, the court was told Jessica Price had pleaded guilty to cruelty to a person under 16 by failing to seek medical assistance for the severe nappy rash her son was suffering from in the weeks leading up to his death.

Outlining the prosecution’s case against the child’s mother and grandmother, Christopher Donnellan QC said Baby Imran had been born 10 weeks premature in June of 2013 and weighed 1.5 kilos or a little over three pounds.

The first weeks of his life were spent in the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, but eventually on August 6 2013 he was allowed home weighing 2.82 kilos.

Mr Donnellan said back at Morris Close, Baby Imran lived with his mother Jessica Price and his grandmother Angela Price.

The baby’s father didn’t live with them and lived a “separate life” said the prosecutor.

At first there were no concerns for Imran and he began to put on weight as his mother bottle fed him.

But in October 2013, it’s alleged Angela Price lied to a health visitor who called at the house that her daughter and Baby Imran were away for a few days visiting a relative.

Mr Donnellan said it was being stressed to the child’s mother that she should regularly take her son to a local clinic so he could be weighed. It was advice, the court was told, that was ignored.

On December 16 2013 Baby Imran and his mother attended the Luton and Dunstable Hospital where they saw consultant, Dr Jean Agyepong.

The baby’s weight that day was recorded at 5.49 kilos and he was was measured as being 62 centimetres long.

The prosecutor said “There had been a drop in progress. Progress hadn’t been as good as it should have been, his weight had gone up, but not as much as it should have.”

Baby Imran was also found to have a bad case of nappy rash, for which the mother had been using over the counter ointments.

As a result, the court heard that Dr Agyepong wrote letters to the mum’s GP and health visitor saying that she should see her doctor and be prescribed with a stronger medication for the nappy rash.

He also wrote that she should attend her local clinic where Baby Imran could be weighed.

Mr Donnellan said Jessica Price failed to go to her GP as instructed by the consultant and she failed to attend her local baby clinic for her child to be weighed and his weight monitored.

The court heard that a health visitor went to the home on January 8 2014 and repeated that the mother should take her son to the GP as instructed by the consultant at the hospital.

On this occasion the baby’s weight was recorded as 5.6 kilos, representing a “very small increase.”

Again the mother was told she should take her child to the clinic to be weighed

In the witness box health visitor Denford Chifamba told the court of a visit he made to Jessica Price’s home on August 29 2013, only to find the mum leaving the house with her child.

He said she told him she was on her way to see a relative and he wasn’t able to examine the baby.

Mr Chifamba said he had access to the records at Jessica Price’s local baby clinic which she was expected to attend with Imran and it was clear she wasn’t taking him there.

On October 24 Mr Chifamba said he had made arrangements to visit Jessica Price at her home at 11.30 that morning.

He said when he got there he was met at the door by Angela Price who told him her daughter had gone away for a few days with her baby son to visit relatives.

The health visitor said he later sent the mum a text message asking her to make another another appointment for a home visit, but he never heard back from her.

Mr Chifamba said there was an occasion when he visited the mother at her home in November 2013 and when she answered the door at 11.30 in the morning she was still in her pyjamas and said she was “still in bed.”

He said he had been unable to see the baby and he told the court the mother told him she had been unable to attend a recent clinic session.

He then told the jury that in discussions with the mum about her housing needs, she expressed a reluctance to move away from her own mother.

Mr Chifamba said he was on leave throughout December of 2013 and didn’t get to see Jessica Price until January 8 2014.

By then he said he was aware that a consultant at the Luton and Dunstable Hopsital, who had seen the mother and baby on December 16, had concerns about the child’s lack of progress and a severe case of nappy rash.

He said the nappy rash hadn’t improved and the mother hadn’t been to her GP as instructed by the consultant to get a stronger medication for the rash and she had also failed to attend the baby clinic for the child to be weighed.

The health visitor said Imran’s weight that day was 5.6 kilos which showed a very small increase and indicated he was not progressing as he should have been.

Once more he said he told the mother to go to her GP as well as her local clinic but he said when he checked on January 15 she still hadn’t done either.

Two days later the baby died.

Out of all the visits he made to the home he said there were only two occasions when he was able to see the baby, which was August 15 2013 and January 8 2014.

He told the court that Jessica Price had not taken any of the advice he had given her.

Case proceeding.