Former midwife denies baby snatch
A former midwife pleaded not guilty in court today to the abduction of a newborn baby from the hospital where she once worked.
Norita O'Malley, 42, who had been employed as a midwife at Guy's Hospital in Southwark, was charged following an incident involving a child who was sleeping in a cot next to his mother on Sunday night.
The baby was later handed back to his alarmed mother by security staff. O'Malley appeared before District Judge John Zani at Tower Bridge Magistrates Court today, less than a mile from the hospital.
She pleaded not guilty to taking a child under 16 without lawful authority, and possession of cannabis.
Her solicitor, Sean Longley, told the court that his client had worked at Guy's until four or five years ago, when she was forced to retire due to a back injury. He said she was now studying to be a counsellor.
O'Malley, of Haringey, sat listening intently to court proceedings and clasping her hands together under her chin.
The judge declined to deal with the case and sent the matter to a Crown Court. He adjourned the case to decide if O'Malley should be granted bail.
He also made an order prohibiting publication of details which would lead to the identification of the child involved in the incident.
