Police arrest father and quiz parents for ‘child abuse’ after health visitor reports child’s red and blotchy skin to NHS – before discovering he has a milk allergy
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Police arrest father and quiz parents for ‘child abuse’ after health visitor reports child’s red and blotchy skin to NHS – before discovering he has a milk allergy.
Parents who were falsely accused of abusing their newborn when he displayed milk allergy symptoms have spoken of their ‘harrowing’ ordeal.
Marc Sutherland and Natalie Whyte were separated from their son and interviewed by 22 people after repeatedly raising concerns about ‘screaming fits’ which left him red and marked.
Mr Sutherland said the ordeal, which included him being arrested and questioned by police, was ‘hell’.
‘We were put through two months of hell because they didn’t test for his allergies the day we went into the hospital,’ he said. ‘It’s a horrible experience that no-one should go through.’
The ordeal started when health experts said baby Callan was suffering from colic but the parents ‘knew’ there was something seriously wrong.
Ms Whyte, who is also mother to seven-year-old Lucy, said: ‘We were constantly told that is was colic. But I knew it wasn’t just that – every feed he would be agitated and scream the house down.’
After one particularly hard night last month, Ms Whtye again spoke to the health visitor – who asked if she thought her young daughter could be hurting seven-week-old Callan.
The 28-year-old, of Auchleven, Aberdeenshire, said: ‘I had taken Lucy out and on my return Marc told me how Callan had really struggled.
‘He had been pushing and straining and had gone bright red and purple. The left side of his face was red and slightly swollen.
‘The next day, his face still had some strange red and purplish marks on it and I was very worried, as any parent would be.’
She took him to the doctor and was told once again that it was colic and the marks were from the straining.
The following week however, Ms Whyte told her health visitor about Callan’s bath time ‘fit’ and was immediately met with ‘accusatory questions’.
‘She asked if Lucy could have hurt her brother or if I felt safe leaving the baby alone with my husband,’ she said.
That evening the family were told to attend Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where Mr Sutherland was informed he was being investigated for child abuse and they ‘would be arrested’ if they tried to leave.
Ms Whyte described the following five days as ‘harrowing’ as she was separated from Callan overnight, adding: ‘We were interviewed by 22 different people.
‘We were placed under tremendous scrutiny and told we couldn’t be around either of our children unsupervised.
‘Lucy was investigated and her school was contacted for comment on what kind of parents we were.
‘I was forced into leaving my newborn overnight. Our hearts were in a million pieces – we were absolutely devastated.’
Baby Callan underwent blood tests, eye examinations, CT Scans and two full-body X-Rays.
‘I had to stand back and watch three nurses pin every little bone on his body down as he shrieked,’ said Ms Whyte. ‘All to prove we hadn’t broken his bones.’
The couple were eventually allowed to go home, although Mr Sutherland was later quizzed by police – who have confirmed no action is being taken against the 33-year-old after he was arrested, cautioned and held for four hours, Evening Express reports.
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