LAST HOPE with help from Dr. Waney Squier

Story (By Nick Tarver)

Four years after Social Workers stormed in and took their baby daughter, this couple headed to the High Court in a final bid to bring her home.

The parents of a baby girl taken by social services in a explosive adoption row face an anxious wait to hear whether new medical evidence will bring them closer to be reunited.

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

This followed her father being accused – though never charged or convicted – of injuring his son from a previous marriage, leading to that child being brain damaged. The father has consistently denied this and last week the parents were allowed to challenge the accusation in the High Court. Their cause has been backed by top oxford-based neuropathologist Dr Waney Squier, who believes there is no evidence that the boy’s injuries were caused by the father. And if the High Court judge, Mr Justice Mark Hedley, agrees the couple will stand a final chance of halting the controversial adoption.

The father, who still shares custody of his disabled child with his ex-wife and is allowed full unsupervised contact with the boy, told the Advertiser he was over whelmed when Dr Squier took up their case. He said: “She wasn’t influenced by money or anything other than her medical opinion.”

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

But Enfield Council’s expert, Dr Neil Stoodley, disagreed and said it was likely the injuries were caused by the boy being shaken. Mr Justice Hedley will make his decision in the next two weeks.

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