A student nurse ‘scouted out’ babies on the neonatal unit before trying to snatch a premature baby, a court has heard.
Safia Ahmadei, 36, is said to have taken a ‘particular interest’ in one newborn and spoke to the infant’s mum about their ‘racial heritage’.
She is accused of hatching the plot while on placement at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton in February, even going so far as buying clothes and a comforter ‘ready for when she had the baby’.
Ahmadei, of Upper Vauxhall, Wolverhampton, denies attempted kidnap.
Prosecutor Seamran Sidhu told jurors at the city’s crown court: ‘You will hear about how she attended the neonatal unit at New Cross Hospital on a number of occasions, initially, we say, to scout out and find a baby to take and then when she had done that, she returned to find a way to get that baby out of the ward.
‘But for the actions and intervention of the nurses and the parents of the baby, the prosecution say that she would have succeeded in taking that baby.’
Ahmadei was a first year student at the University of Wolverhampton on placement at the New Cross Hospital.
She was not stationed in the midwifery department and ‘had no reason at all’ to be there, the court heard.
But she was allegedly spotted there on a ‘number of occasions’, with witnesses describing her ‘looking at babies on the neonatal unit and acting suspiciously’ on February 13.
Ahmadei was wearing her student nurses uniform at the time, Ms Sidhu said. The defendant is said to have taken a ‘particular interest’ in one baby, who had been born prematurely.
Jurors heard how Ahmadei then spoke to the baby’s mum. Ms Sidhu said: ‘She asked the mother a number of questions about her baby and was particularly interested in their racial background.
‘She was questioned about whether the baby was Muslim and of Pakistani heritage. She also asked the mother about the baby’s feeding and sleeping arrangements.’
About five hours later, Ahmadei is said to have returned to the neonatal ward and was found next to the baby’s cot. A nurse who had been working on the ward that day spotted Ahmadei but did not recognise her.
She quizzed the defendant on why she was in the unit, with the student nurse allegedly describing how she had ‘been there all day’.
When challenged again, Ahmadei claimed the baby’s mother had ‘said it was OK for her to bring blankets’ and ‘that’s what she was doing’.
Staff spoke to the mum of the baby who confirmed ‘that was not true’, Ms Sidhu said.
Jurors heard how Ahmadei was told to leave the ward but she returned 15 minutes later.
She is said to have still been ‘wearing her student nurse uniform’ but had placed a dressing gown from the boot of her car on top of it.
The defendant repeated her claim she had come to bring the baby blankets. She was again asked to leave and exited the unit but returned once more ‘just minutes later’, Ms Sidhu said.
The court heard how Ahmadei was with a man when she came back. Ms Sidhu said: ‘The male was her partner and she just wanted to look at the baby. They were both told to leave.’
Ahmadei was contacted the next day by the university’s head of undergraduate nursing as police had recommended that she be suspended while inquiries were made.
In a telephone call, the student nurse was told she was suspended and should not go to her hospital placement. A follow-up email ‘confirming instructions’ given to Ahmadei was also sent, Ms Sidhu said.
The prosecutor added: ‘From the outset, Ahmadei must have known not to go to the maternity ward or neonatal unit but even if she did not, that telephone call and email made it absolutely clear to her that she was not to attend that hospital at all but that did not stop her.’
Jurors were told how Ahmadei then returned to the hospital two hours later, donning a red coat on top of her uniform in an alleged attempt to ‘go under the radar’.
Unable to use her ID pass anymore, she is said to have tried to go through the reception desk.
The baby’s mother spotted Ahmadei and ‘began to confront her’ before nurses intervened and police were called.
Officers searched the defendant, discovering baby clothes and a baby comforter on her.
Ms Sidhu said there was ‘no reason’ for the student nurse to have these items, adding: ‘The prosecution say that the items discovered further support the assertion that Ahmadei had an intention to take the baby.’
Further baby clothes with the tags on, a passport and £1,500 cash were uncovered in her car.
The prosecution say Ahmadei had these items so should could ‘flee with the baby if needed’.
More clothing with tags on, a baby changing bag, soft toys and baby bedding were found in Ahmadei’s home, the court heard.
Jurors were told that ‘issues such as miscarriage and grief are likely to be mentioned’ during the trial.
The trial continues.
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