Heartbroken mum shares horror after baby shaken to death by Ofsted-registered minder

Karen Foster (R) was jailed aft admitting causing the decease of a the nine-month-old. (Image: AP / Lancashire Police)

The mum of a nine-month-old lad who died aft being shaken by a registered childminder has opened up astir the horrific ordeal.

Karen Foster, 63, had been caring for Harlow Collinge a fewer days per week for astir six weeks anterior to his decease from a traumatic caput injury.

Foster, from Hapton, Lancashire, aboriginal admitted she had shaken Harlow successful vexation aft returning location from a park, according to a news release connected the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) website.

Harlow, had been dropped disconnected astatine Foster's location by his mum, Gemma Collinge, earlier that day. In a portion for The Sun, Gemma has opened up astir the traumatic hours she and spouse Allen Frangleton suffered aft learning their beloved lad had been hospitalised.

Gemma said Harlow had "a rash astir his rima but was perfectly afloat of beans," erstwhile she dropped him disconnected connected March 1, 2022. "I took a photograph of him and helium was truthful smiley," she said, adding: "I kissed him goodbye and went disconnected to work."

Karen Foster (Image: Lancashire Police)

Two hours aboriginal Gemma got a telephone from Foster who told her, "'Harlow choked connected pasta, helium stopped breathing,'” which sent her into a "panic", she wrote.

Gemma's brag past drove her to Royal Blackburn Hospital wherever Foster was already waiting. Gemma said Foster "put her arms astir maine and told maine she’d tried to prevention him", telling her that she did CPR and "'did my best'".

The distraught mum past says she asked however Harlow could person choked connected pasta, arsenic helium didn't similar it.

Foster had called an ambulance to accidental Harlow had stopped breathing and told a paramedic who arrived soon aft that Harlow had been choking connected immoderate pasta and had immoderate benignant of fit, according to the CPS quality release.

She claimed she had checked his rima and slapped his backmost successful an effort to dislodge thing stuck, and told different paramedic that the Harlow had conscionable collapsed, The CPS said.

Foster aboriginal tied to blasted Gemma for the injuries, BBC News reports.

Before Harlow's information became clear, Gemma feared it could person been an adverse absorption to a pick for his rash, and her mum "dashed to Karen’s to prime up the cream, truthful doctors could check".

Medics aboriginal discovered that helium had important and non-accidental injuries to his brain, Sky News reported.

Harlow died from a traumatic caput injury, starring to cardiorespiratory arrest. (Image: PA)

"He was connected a ventilator, surrounded by wires. It was similar a nightmare. I couldn’t instrumentality it in," Gemma said. Harlow was transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital wherever she and spouse Allen "kept a vigil by his bedside".

Despite the champion efforts of aesculapian unit the babe ne'er regained consciousness and was pronounced dormant 4 days aft the incident, connected March 5, 2022.

A post-mortem confirmed the kid died from a traumatic caput injury, starring to cardiorespiratory arrest.

Foster had been owed to basal proceedings for murdering Harlow, and it wasn't until past that she admitted shaking him.

She pleaded blameworthy to an alternate complaint of manslaughter and was sentenced astatine Preston Crown Court connected June 13, 2024, to 12 years and 7 months successful prison.

In her relationship successful The Sun, Gemma revealed she was uneasy astir however galore children Foster had been looking after.

Gemma and Allen had "arranged a fewer settling-in sessions, for January 2022, and the archetypal 2 visits went well. But astatine the extremity of the 3rd session, I started to interest astir the fig of children Karen was looking after," Gemma said.

"She did schoolhouse wraparound attraction and sometimes she’d person 8 oregon 9 kids and a babe there, arsenic good arsenic Harlow," and Gemma claimed that erstwhile she challenged her connected it, Foster insisted she was "well within" the regulations.

"I checked online and she was registered with Ofsted. I couldn’t find thing antagonistic astir Karen astatine all," Gemma said, but aboriginal discovered Foster had been deceiving her.

Karen Tonge, Specialist Crown Prosecutor with CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service worked with Greater Manchester Police to physique a compelling lawsuit against Foster.

"The probe revealed Foster had lied to Ofsted astir her idiosyncratic circumstances and wellness and that she had been caring for much children than her registration permitted. She had lied to parents by telling them that she was a qualified caregiver erstwhile that was not true.

“She besides lied to Harlow’s parent astatine infirmary erstwhile she gave her the content that she had ‘saved him’. The grounds suggested she was overstretched and successful declining wellness and that for nary bully crushed she mislaid her temper with Harlow.

“In the end, the spot of the grounds was specified that Foster had nary enactment but to judge she was liable for Harlow’s death."

Gemma said the household misses Harlow "every infinitesimal of each day" and wants to run successful his sanction for Harlow’s Law, "meaning stricter regularisation of childminders and nurseries".

"Nothing volition bring my lad back, but I anticipation different beingness tin beryllium saved successful his memory," she added. You tin Gemma's petition here.

Ofsted has been approached for comment.