Four years after social workers Stole Girl away. 'shaken baby syndrome'

Story (By Nick Tarver)

Four years after social workers took their daughter away, her parents bid to bring her home.

Top doctor backs couple’s fight to get back their girl

A LITTLE girl could be reunited with her parents if their High Court bid to prove she is not at risk proves successful. The parents face an anxious wait to hear whether new medical evidence will move them closer to being reunited.

The little girl, who along with her parents cannot be named for legal reasons, was removed when she was just four days old and put up for adoption by social workers who feared she could suffer “Potential Harm”. 

This followed her father being accused though never charged or convicted – of injuring his son from previous marriage, leading to that child being brain-damaged.

The father has consistently denied this and last week parents were allowed to challenge the accusations in the High Court.

Their cause has been backed by top Oxford based neuropathologist Dr Waney Squire, who believes there is no evidence to show the boy’s injuries were caused by the father.

If High Court judge Mr Justice Mark Hedley, agrees in the next two weeks, the couple have an excellent chance of halting the adoption and being reunited with their daughter after four years apart. 

The father, who still shares custody of his disabled child with ex wife and is allowed full unsupervised contact with him, told the Gazette he was overwhelmed when Dr Squier took up their case “The doctor came here out of the kindness of the heart,” he said. “She wasn’t influenced by money or anything other than her medical opinion. She’s the most eminent 

During the three-day hearing, Dr Squier told the court that the boy’s injuries were not consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

There were no bruises on his body and he had no damage to his neck – injuries which are usually present when a baby has been shaken hard enough to cause brain haemorrhage.

But Enfield’s Council’s expert Dr Neil Stoodley, disagreed and said it was likely the injuries were caused by the boy being shaken.

An Enfield Council spokeswoman said: “We are unable to comment while legal proceedings are not yet concluded.”