Latest news with #ZaynebCassandra
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Mother of six-year-old boy who ‘killed a newborn on French maternity ward' had been told twice to keep an eye on her child but he continued to roam unsupervised, victim's family claims
The family of the newborn killed after being allegedly dropped by a six-year-old left to roam a French maternity ward alone have claimed that they had spoken to the child's mother twice telling her to keep an eye on him. Five-day-old Baby Zayneb-Cassandra was found lying unresponsive on the floor beside her crib with a traumatic brain injury at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in the northern city of Lille, France, on Friday, July 11 and died from her injuries last Tuesday. A boy, whose mother was in the maternity war, was found standing on a chair beside her and is believed to have plucked the tiny baby from her crib and dropped her on the floor. Karima, a cousin of Zayneb's grieving father has claimed that hospital staff were 'warned' of the child's 'abnormal behaviour' and that the baby's grandfather had spoken to the boy's mother two times, urging her to keep an eye on her son. She also alleged that the boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her 'my doll', and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall. 'The day before, Zayneb had already been found without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia,' Karima claimed. When the family notified the hospital of this, they claimed that they were told by staff that the baby must have taken her diapers off herself. Baby Zayneb's grieving father Mohamed-Hamza told French press that he will 'fight to identify those responsible' for the tragedy Baby Zayneb, who was born six weeks premature by caesarean to parents Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora, was resuscitated twice before she died last week. Lille's prosecutor's office on Friday confirmed that the infant died from trauma 'consistent with a fall to the floor'. 'A six-year-old child, a member of another family, was indeed seen near the crib and the child on the floor,' prosecutors also confirmed. Zayneb's family are also urging other witnesses to come forward, with Karima explaining that what Zayneb's mother doesn't want 'is for people to think that she left her child unattended,' when she 'entrusted her to the hospital staff'. The boy and the baby were discovered by Delphine, a young woman who had recently given birth herself, who rushed into the room after hearing what she described as a 'loud bang'. Delphine later told Le Parisien that the boy in question had been disruptive for days and was not being supervised as his mother was also recovering from giving birth. 'He was running around everywhere and had already touched a baby in a stroller,' Delphine said. Questions are mounting as to how the boy was able to gain access to Zayneb's crib in the neonatal unit alone, despite being reported as a 'disruptive presence' in the hospital. Karima explained how the boy was running riot in the halls for days after being dropped off at the hospital each morning by his father. 'The father would drop him off in the ward from 7am to 8pm,' she said. Mohamed-Hamza's cousin Karima alleged that the six-year-old boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her 'my doll', and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall Zayneb's grandmother, Fatma, told the Voix du Nord newspaper: 'The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways. 'All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms. 'He also entered Zayneb's room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.' 'It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head,' Fatma concluded. 'My family is destroyed... My daughter is devastated. Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.' Zayneb's distraught father, Mohamed-Hamza, told Le Parisien he doesn't blame the boy who allegedly caused his daughter's life-ending injuries, but hit out at the hospital for their lack of care. 'Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don't blame the mother; she had just given birth... But the child should have been supervised,' the 23-year-old declared. Fatma added that she had to push medical staff to arrange psychological support for her inconsolable daughter-in-law after she was informed her child had died. A criminal investigation into the tragedy was opened this week by the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service, in conjunction with local prosecutors. The hospital also announced the opening of 'an internal administrative investigation'. A spokesperson said: 'This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children's Hospital, as well as the other families present.' A separate statement provided to French press acknowledged 'a particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care'. 'The thoughts of the University Hospital professionals are first and foremost with the young victim, her family, and her loved ones,' it read. The hospital also added that 'measures to strictly limit visits to the neonatal units of the Lille University Hospital have been taken as a precautionary measure'. Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora have not yet filed an official complaint, but dismissed the statement. 'It won't bring my daughter back... But we're waiting for answers. There was a breach, and I'm going to fight to identify those responsible.
The Sun
17-07-2025
- The Sun
Haunting words of boy, 6, who killed newborn after being left to roam hospital maternity unit – as grieving dad speaks
A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy accused of killing a newborn baby after being left unsupervised at a maternity ward has told horrified witnesses she was "my doll". The shocking incident unfolded at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in Lille, France, where baby Zayneb-Cassandra had been recovering after a premature birth. 5 5 5 Despite being born six weeks early, the infant had been doing well - until last Friday when she was found lying unresponsive on the floor beside her crib, with a serious brain injury. A six-year-old boy was discovered beside her, standing on a chair. He is believed to have plucked her from her crib and accidentally dropped her. Zayneb was resuscitated twice and placed on life support over the weekend, but she tragically died on Tuesday. Witnesses claimed the boy had been wandering the halls alone for days, with one woman saying he had already tried to touch another baby. The child was reportedly unsupervised as his mother was also recovering from giving birth. Delphine, a young woman who had recently given birth herself, was the first to discover the scene after hearing a 'loud bang'. 'He was running around everywhere and had already touched a baby in a stroller,' she told Le Parisien. The 20-year-old added that she found him beside Zayneb, referring to her as 'my doll'. The baby's grieving father, Mohamed-Hamza, 23, spoke of his devastation but said he doesn't hold the boy personally responsible. 'Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don't blame the mother; she had just given birth… But the child should have been supervised,' he told Le Parisien. He and his partner Sephora are now demanding answers from hospital authorities, accusing them of failing to protect their daughter. Zayneb's grandmother Fatma claimed the boy had entered the neonatal room before and had shown a disturbing interest in the baby. 'He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out,' she told La Voix du Nord. 'It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head.' The family claim Zayneb had already shown signs of being mishandled in the hours before her fatal fall. Karima, a cousin, alleged that the day before the incident, the baby had been found 'without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia'. She also claimed the boy had been left at the hospital daily from 7am to 8pm by his father, running unchecked through the corridors. 'All the mothers were complaining,' Fatma said. 'A nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms.' A criminal investigation has now been launched by the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service, working with local prosecutors. 5 5 The hospital has also opened an internal investigation and released a statement describing the tragedy as a 'particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care'. But the family has dismissed the hospital's remarks. 'It won't bring my daughter back… But we're waiting for answers,' said Mohamed-Hamza. 'There was a breach, and I'm going to fight to identify those responsible. Justice will do its job.' Zayneb's mother, Sephora, is said to be inconsolable. The family claimed they had to push hospital staff to provide psychological support following the baby's death. 'My family is destroyed,' said Fatma. 'My daughter is devastated. Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.'
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Boy, six, 'who killed newborn after being left to roam French maternity ward was found on a chair next to the baby's crib calling the girl his "doll"', says horrified woman who discovered the scene
A six-year-old boy who allegedly killed a newborn baby in a French maternity ward had been left to roam the halls unattended and referred to the victim as 'my doll', witnesses have claimed. Police launched a criminal inquiry into the horror that unfolded at the Rainbow ward at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in the northern city of Lille, France, on Friday, July 11. Baby Zayneb-Cassandra - who was born via caesarean section to parents Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora and survived despite being around six weeks premature - was found lying unresponsive on the floor beside her crib with a traumatic brain injury. The boy, who was found standing on a chair beside her, is believed to have plucked the tiny baby from her crib and dropped her on the floor. The pair were discovered by Delphine, a young woman who had recently given birth herself, who rushed into the room after hearing what she described as a 'loud bang'. Zayneb was resuscitated twice, but she ultimately died from her injuries on Tuesday after spending the weekend on life support. Delphine, 20, later told Le Parisien that the boy in question had been disruptive for days and was not being supervised as his mother was also recovering from giving birth. 'He was running around everywhere and had already touched a baby in a stroller,' Delphine said. Meanwhile, a family member of Zayneb's grieving father alleged that the boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her 'my doll', and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall. 'The day before, Zayneb had already been found without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia,' Karima claimed. Now, questions are mounting as to how the boy was able to gain access to Zayneb's crib in the neonatal unit alone, despite being reported as a 'disruptive presence' in the hospital. Karima explained how the boy was running riot in the halls for days after being dropped off at the hospital each morning by his father. 'The father would drop him off in the ward from 7am to 8pm,' she said. Zayneb's grandmother Fatma also told the Voix du Nord newspaper: 'The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways. 'All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms. 'He also entered Zayneb's room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.' 'It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head,' Fatma concluded. 'My family is destroyed... My daughter is devastated. Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.' Zayneb's distraught father, Mohamed-Hamza, told Le Parisien he doesn't blame the boy who allegedly caused his daughter's life-ending injuries, but hit out at the hospital for their lack of care. 'Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don't blame the mother; she had just given birth... But the child should have been supervised,' the 23-year-old declared. Fatma added that she had to push medical staff to arrange psychological support for her inconsolable daughter-in-law after she was informed her child had died. An NHS neonatal nurse told MailOnline that it is highly unusual for babies in the neonatal ward to be left alone and that the six-year-old boy should never have been able to access the room where Zayneb was lying. 'Never, under any circumstances, can a neonatal ward be left unsupervised... you always need to have at least one nurse in the room,' she said. A criminal investigation into the tragedy was opened this week by the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service, in conjunction with local prosecutors. 'Investigations are currently underway in this case,' said a spokesman for Lille prosecutors. The hospital also announced the opening of 'an internal administrative investigation'. A spokesman said: 'This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children's Hospital, as well as the other families present.' A separate statement provided to French press acknowledged 'a particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care'. 'The thoughts of the University Hospital professionals are first and foremost with the young victim, her family, and her loved ones,' it read. The hospital also added that 'measures to strictly limit visits to the neonatal units of the Lille University Hospital have been taken as a precautionary measure'. Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora have not yet filed an official complaint, but dismissed the statement. 'It won't bring my daughter back... But we're waiting for answers. There was a breach, and I'm going to fight to identify those responsible. 'Justice will do its job,' he told Le Parisien.
The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Criminal inquiry launched after six-year-old boy ‘kills newborn baby' in France
A criminal inquiry has been launched in France after a six-year-old boy 'left to roam around a maternity unit' allegedly killed a newborn baby. The horror unfolded at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in the northern city of Lille. It was there that a baby identified as Zayneb-Cassandra – who was born premature, at 7.5 months, to a 23-year-old woman, earlier this month – was declared dead on Tuesday. She suffered a traumatic brain injury last Friday after allegedly being dropped on the floor by the boy 'who treated her like a doll,' said an investigating source. Despite being reported as a 'disruptive presence' in the hospital, the boy was found alone with the unconscious baby in a neonatal unit. The baby was her mother's first child, and she was delivered by cesarean section, said the investigating source. 'The delivery went very well, but the little girl was premature, so she was taken to a neonatatal unit, while her mother remained in a maternity ward.' The 'disruptive six-year-old' – the son of another mother who was in a maternity ward – was meanwhile spotted wandering around the hospital unattended. Zayneb-Cassandra's grandmother told the Voix du Nord newspaper: 'The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways. 'All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms. 'He also entered Zayneb's room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.' Last Friday, Zayneb's mother was signing discharge papers, when 'all of a sudden, the family received a call from a ward manager, saying they needed to come right away – a little boy had been playing with the baby, who had fallen.' According to the family, who cite another mother in a neighbouring room, 'a loud bang' was heard when the baby's head connected with the ground. Zayneb was found unresponsive on the floor, next to the six-year-old, who was on a chair. 'It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head,' said Zayneb's grandmother. The baby was rushed to intensive care, but she was declared dead on Tuesday, after suffering 'a serious a brain injury.' An investigation has been opened by the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service, in conjunction with local prosecutors. 'Investigations are currently underway in this case,' said a spokesman for Lille prosecutors. The hospital also announced the opening of 'an internal administrative investigation '. A spokesman said: 'This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children's Hospital, as well as the other families present.'
