Sunday, December 19, 1999
Kelly Angell . . . accused of abandoning her newborn baby in a toilet bowl at Boston's Logan International Airport
Woman gives birth and leaves baby in airport toilet bowl
By PHILIP BROUGHTON in New YorkIrish Independent
A WOMAN in the US, charged with abandoning her newborn baby in a lavatory, was ordered yesterday to have psychological tests before standing trial.
Authorities claim Kelly Angell (20) gave birth in an airport cubicle, tore the umbilical cord with her fingers, then left the baby in a toilet bowl covered with lavatory paper.
She then tried to board a flight to London to see Graeme Clifton, of Norwich in the UK, who was the father of the abandoned child.
The baby boy, who was found blue and barely breathing at Boston on Friday, is now suffering from pneumonia.
Clifton flew to Boston at the weekend to see his girlfriend appear in court, where she pleaded not guilty.
She has been charged with child abandonment and assault and battery.
The woman claims she left the child in the lavatory because she thought he was dead.
Prosecutors say she flew from her home in Portland, Maine, where she lived with her parents, to Boston on Friday evening.
She then checked in for a flight to London.
While waiting for her flight, however, she felt uncomfortable and went to the women's lavatory.
When a lavatory attendant found the baby, she called police, who traced Angell.
She admitted giving birth to the baby, believed to have been born at, or close to, full term, and weighing in at 8lb 8oz.
When police went searching for the mother, they were directed by other passengers to Angell, who still looked pregnant and was fiddling with a bottle of painkillers.
At first, she refused police requests that she undergo a medical examination, saying she had to catch her flight.
When the police saw blood on her jeans, however, she gave up.
Angell's parents said they will look after the baby rather than leave him with social services.
Her lawyer Anthony Lochiatto said: ``My client wants the baby and the family wants the baby.''
He added that Angell had been trying to fly to England to discuss the baby with her boyfriend, Clifton.
The father had nothing to say at his girlfriend's court appearance.
(Daily Telegraph, London)