Baby who died hours after birth investigated as ‘negligence manslaughter’

The mother of a newborn baby who died less than 24 hours after birth has vowed to “never give up the fight” for answers.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed on Monday it had launched a gross negligence manslaughter probe into the death of Polly Lindop.

The “beautiful” newborn died within a day after her birth on 13 March at St Marys Hospital, in Manchester.

Police confirmed they had begun investigating the incident after concerns were raised with their officers and the coroner about the nature of Polly’s death.

It has spoken to several NHS hospital staff as witnesses and said that Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, had been “fully cooperative”.

No arrests have been made so far, police said.

As news of the investigation emerged, Polly’s heartbroken mum Kimberley Lindop vowed to “never give up the fight” for justice for her daughter.

The 27-year-old also released an image of Polly and demanded to know exactly what had happened to her.

“We will never give up the fight,” sjhe said. “We will find out exactly what happened in the hours leading up to Polly’s death.

“A baby couldn’t be loved anymore - she is our everything and she lives on in her brothers and sister every day.”

An earlier statement from Polly’s parents said: “Our beautiful brave baby girl Polly, we love you and miss you every day. Sleep tight my darling.”

DCI Mark Davis, from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said his thoughts were with Polly’s relatives and confirmed their investigation was “ongoing”.

He said: “First, I want to express my condolences to the parents of Polly at what is an extremely difficult time for them.

“Our thoughts will remain with them as we carry out our investigation.

“A number of hospital staff have been spoken to as witnesses by officers and no arrests have been made at this time.

“The hospital trust has been fully cooperative with the police and all relevant authorities have been kept informed.

“The investigation into Polly’s death is on-going and her family will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.”