Baby’s death ‘could not have been prevented’

Amelia-Lilly Sultan-Curtis died from head injuries inflicted by her mother Natasha in a “sudden explosion of violence” when she was suffering from post-natal depression in October 2012.

The 21-year-old, of Welton Grove, Hull, was spared a jail sentence last November after Hull Crown Court heard she had only slept one hour in three days and nights and had been prescribed anti-depressants.

Ms Sultan, who a judge described as acting in a “maelstrom of fatigue and mental disorder”, was probably trying unsuccessfully to feed her baby when the incident occurred.

In a report out today, Hull Safeguarding Children Board, which carried out an investigation, says the child and her family received largely routine help, which was carried out to the right standard, with some examples of good practice.

Board chairman Paul Dyson said: “The conclusion of the independent author of the review, endorsed by the Hull Safeguarding Children Board, is that local agencies and services could not have anticipated or prevented this tragic event.

“The board believes that the offer of additional support would have been beneficial, following a diagnosis that the child’s mother had post natal depression. Other lessons about practice have also been learned. These had no bearing on the outcome in this case, but might be more significant in other circumstances.”

After the case, the Hull-based House of Light charity, called for increased understanding of post-natal depression, saying many women felt unable to seek help for fear their children would be taken off them and women were more likely to harm themselves than their child.