Midwife spared jail for killing baby in botched circumcision

UK - A nurse who caused the death of a baby in a botched home circumcision has been spared jail.

Grace Adeleye, 67, carried out the procedure using scissors, forceps and olive oil and without anaesthetic in Chadderton, Oldham, in April 2010.

Four-week-old Goodluck Caubergs bled to death before he could reach hospital the following day.

Adeleye, who was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence, was given a suspended jail sentence.

A judge at Manchester Crown Court ordered her to serve 21 months in jail, suspended for 24 months.
'No problem'

She was also given a six-month overnight curfew and a 12-month supervision order.

The nurse, of Sarnia Court, Salford, Greater Manchester, had claimed there had been "no problem" when she left the infant and that his parents had been pleased with the operation.

But the court heard that when his parents changed his nappy several hours later, they found a large amount of blood and contacted Adeleye, who told them to re-dress the wound.

Goodluck's parents called an ambulance the following morning and he was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he died a short time later.

During the trial, the court heard that Adeleye and Goodluck's parents were from Nigeria, where the circumcision of newborns is the tradition for Christian families.
'Historic, crude and dangerous'

The jury was told that Adeleye was paid £100 to do the operation and that she had done "more than 1,000" circumcision operations without incident.

Goodluck's parents said after sentencing "not for one minute" did they think the procedure would cause him harm.

In a statement they described his death as "having a nightmare that we could not wake up from".

"The sadness we feel does not seem to ease. We have now just grown to live with the pain of our son's death rather than it subsiding."

Det Insp Darren Meeks from Greater Manchester Police said the case in which a young baby lost his life in such a "tragic and unnecessary manner" was "heartbreaking".

"Although Adeleye was a registered nurse, she carried out the surgery at the parents' home, using a historic, crude and dangerous method, with inappropriate instruments."

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