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Great Ormond Street
Man and woman arrested over attempted abduction of baby from London hospital
The pair showed staff an image of a premature baby in an incubator, which they claimed was theirs.
POLICE IN LONDON have arrested a man and a woman following a report of an attempted abduction at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The Metropolitan Police today said officers were called to the children’s hospital at about 2pm on Monday, following a call from an employee claiming that a couple had attempted to gain access to a ward.
Hospital staff checked the information provided by the couple and were allegedly shown an image of a premature baby in an incubator, which they claimed was theirs.
This information did not match hospital records and an employee subsequently called police.
Officers attended and arrested a 31-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit child abduction.
They were taken to a central London police station and have since been bailed until a date in mid-April.
‘Exceptionally rare’
Inspector Paul Clarke said: “The actions of the staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital in making all of the necessary checks and the quick response of police in arresting a couple prevented what could have been a very frightening and harrowing incident.”
A spokeswoman for Great Ormond Street Hospital added: “Thankfully, this type of incident is exceptionally rare. We are pleased that staff at the hospital acted so swiftly and calmly to ensure the safety of all our patients.”
Investigations into the incident are continuing.
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