Teen found holding dead baby in prison cell after biting through umbilical cord

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A teen had to bite through her newborn baby's umbilical cord after giving birth alone in a prison cell. Rianna Cleary twice asked for help as she went into labour before a cruel prison guard at HMP Bronzefield disabled the call bell in her cell.It wasn't until the next morning that fellow prisoners found baby Aisha dead in the arms of the 18-year-old who was covered in blood.

According to the Mirror, an inquest has today criticised both the prison and hospital for systematic failings, with senior coroner for Surrey, Richard Travers, saying she may have survived if her mum had been discovered in labour and transferred to hospital.During the month-long inquest, it was heard that Ms Cleary, a black woman and care leaver, had been targeted by authorities as a "gangster" rather than someone who needed help.

She had been sent to the biggest women's prison in the country at six months pregnant as she had no bail address.While behind bars Ms Cleary was told a court order would be made to remove her baby at birth.

Giving evidence she said she “wondered at that time if I was being treated differently from [other women in prison] because of my race, because I was young, or because of my past".Ms Cleary called an officer over the intercom to request a nurse or ambulance when she went into labour in her prison cell in September 2019.