Baby found in shopping bag in Newham has brother and sister who were also abandoned, court heard

A newborn who was abandoned in a shopping bag has two siblings who were also found in similar circumstances, it has been revealed.

The link emerged from DNA tests on the child, who was discovered at sub-zero temperatures by an east London dog walker earlier this year.

The results confirmed that the girl, named Elsa by hospital staff, is related to a boy and a girl who were also abandoned in the same area in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Police are yet to find out who their parents are and investigations are ongoing.

It was believed that the baby Elsa was less than an hour when she was found in Newham after a passer-by heard her crying.

The dog discovered her wrapped in a towel in a reusable shopping bag near the junction of the Greenway and High Street South at around 9.15pm on January 18.

They then kept the baby warm by wrapping her in blankets until paramedics arrived and were later praised by police for helping to save her life.

Officers later said the child was “safe and well“.

A court previously heard that as the inquest into Elsa’s birth continues, her birth cannot yet be registered and no final decision about her care can be made.

A judge at East London Family Court has now ruled that reporting restrictions could be changed to allow the bond between the three children to be published, following a request from members of the media.

It can be reported that Elsa’s sister, known as Roman, was found in similar circumstances in a play area off Roman Road, Newham, at the end of January 2019 in freezing temperatures.

Her brother, known as Harry, was found wrapped in a blanket in Balaam Street, Plaistow, in September 2017.

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Harry and Roman – not their real names – have since been adopted.

Only certain details of the three children, who are black, can be reported.

“Very, very unusual”

On Monday, Judge Carol Atkinson ruled that the restrictions should be lifted in the interest of “open justice”, the PA news agency reported.

The judge added: “There is a clear public interest in reporting this story.

“Abandonment of a baby in this country is a very, very unusual event and there are years when there are no abandoned children and because of that the story of the abandonment of a child is of public interest.

“For the same reason, in our society today, of enormous interest and importance, people know that there is a mother and a father out there who have felt the need to give up their children in this way, three times, and that is considerable. interest, it seems to me”.

Another hearing in the case of baby Elsa is expected to take place at a later date.

Anyone with information that could help identify the parents is urged to get in touch The Metropolitan Police.