Ruth, aged 28, abandoned Joshua Akerele in her nurse’s accommodation for eight hours so she could complete her shift at Royal Bolton Hospital. The incident happened on December 20, 2022.

When she returned to her room, she found Joshua lifeless in his cot and dialled 999, telling operators her son was not breathing

The infant died an hour after the ambulance arrived despite resuscitation efforts. Tests revealed that he might have overheated due to excessive layers of clothing and bedding.

She initially told the police that she had collected Joshua from a childminder after she finished work. She took him back home, fed him, placed him on her bed and then fell asleep next to him.

The single mother claimed that when she woke up, she found him unresponsive.

However, Auta was later charged after police found CCTV of her leaving and entering her accommodation without Joshua on the day of the incident

Also, officers discovered incriminating texts. She had urged her childminder to say she was looking after Joshua that day.

But the childminder told officers she had not seen the infant for a number of days.

Auta was charged with cruelty to a child and pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ court on May 24, 2024. Her case was adjourned by a month for sentence.

She was apprehended at Gatwick Airport on June 6, while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria with a one-way ticket.

Sara Davie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, 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.”

Although no conclusive cause of death could be given for Joshua, the court heard he may have overheated due to the layers of clothing and bedding he was wrapped in.

Davie said that, as a nurse, Auta should have known the dangers of leaving her baby unattended and “must now live with the consequences of the terrible decision she made that day”.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those who have been affected by Joshua’s death,” Davie said.