Publisher Health

A student nurse cleared of plotting to kidnap a baby from a neonatal ward said her experience of the justice system had left her “smashed”.

Safia Ahmadei was accused of “scouting” New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton for a baby she could pass off as her own.

But following an 11-day trial a jury found her not guilty of attempted kidnap in just 48 minutes.

Ms Ahmadei, who has maintained her innocence since her arrest in February, told the BBC: “My reputation, my dignity, my career is gone, all because of a wrong allegation.”

The mother of two was on remand in prison for six months awaiting trial where she said she was attacked three times by other inmates.

Ms Ahmadei was unable to speak to family members while behind bars because it took four months to get phone calls approved.

“Prison made me broken – behind the door, in the dark, thinking about my two flowers… my children,” she said.

Ms Ahmadei, who came to England from Afghanistan in 2011, enrolled on a nursing course at the University of Wolverhampton in 2022.

She was in her second year and training at the city’s hospital when she said her life was turned upside down.

Ms Ahmadei maintains an innocent encounter with a distressed new mum on the neonatal ward led to her being arrested, charged and facing trial accused of trying to steal her baby.

She said she approached the woman, who was concerned her baby had been placed by an air conditioning unit.

Able to communicate in Urdu, Ms Ahmadei said she comforted her and sympathised with her raising a family without female relatives in the country.

She also maintains the women realised they had mutual acquaintances and that later that day she returned to the ward to give the baby a blanket.

Dressed in her nurse’s uniform but not on duty, she was informed by a member of staff she should not be wearing it if not working.

Ms Ahmadei said she returned to her car, put on an overall to cover herself and took the blanket to the ward.

The following day, she received a call from the university to say she had been suspended from her course.

“I was really shocked. I couldn’t take it in” she said.

“It was my dream to put on that uniform. I was wondering what I had done wrong… I knew in my heart I was doing my best at the hospital.”

Despite being told to stay away, the nurse said she returned to the hospital the next day because she feared she had unintentionally offended the woman.

She also took baby clothes, which she said were an apology gift.

When she arrived, she was surrounded by hospital staff and police were called.

“They weren’t letting me speak. I didn’t know what had gone on or what I’d done wrong,” she said.

“My arrest was the black day in my life. I felt totally smashed,” she said.

During her trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, the prosecution argued she was planning to kidnap a baby to pass off as her own after lying to her second husband about being pregnant with twin boys.

She admitted being untruthful but said she had found herself in an impossible situation.

“I was scared if I told him that maybe he would be angry and leave me,” she said.

Her repeated appearances in the neonatal ward, changing of clothes and purchasing of baby outfits were part of the the prosecution’s case against her.

But she repeatedly insisted she had no intention of taking a child to pretend it was her own.

“I’m a mother. How could I hurt another mother?” she said.

On 16 August, the jury delivered its not guilty verdict in less than an hour.

Ms Ahmadei said she wept with joy but that her ordeal was far from over.

“I close my eyes and I still hear the noise of the keys, the chain,” she said.

Rumours and misinformation about her online had been devastating, she said.

“My family are not letting me see social media, or the news reports, because they know if I see something it will make me more upset.”

She said she believed she faced prejudice within the Afghan community after separating from her first husband and pursuing an education and career.

“In my mind, it was a plan to put me in trouble,” she told the BBC.

Despite her experience, Ms Ahmadei is still pursuing a career in nursing and hopes to be re-enrolled on a course.

“I’m a strong mother. I will get my degree but I worry that there could be another Safia in the future,” she said.

West Midlands Police said it accepted the court’s decision and that “our thoughts remain firmly with everyone that has been involved in this case”.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said it reviewed the evidence in the case “carefully before making a charging decision”.

They added: “The CPS doesn’t decide whether or not a person is guilty – we make independent decisions about when it’s appropriate to bring a case to court.

“The defendant has been acquitted and we respect the jury’s decision.”

The University of Wolverhampton said an internal investigation was ongoing and that Ms Ahmadei would remain suspended until its conclusion.

New Cross Hospital did not want to comment.