Abandoned child Elsa is the third newborn abandoned by the same parents

The other babies – named Harry and Roman – had also been abandoned after birth in the same area of ​​London.

They had been wrapped in blankets. One was also in a sack.

Family Court documents stated that baby Elsa still had her umbilical cord, and doctors estimated that she had been born just an hour before.

Although extremely cold when found, Elsa was described as crying and responsive. Since then, the court heard she has been doing well.

The Family Court heard that the children – whose names have now been changed – will all know they are full siblings and there are plans for them to have some form of contact as they grow up.

The reporting of the sibling bond was not supported by local authorities and the Children and Family Court Advice and Support Service in England (Cafcass), which advises courts on the best interests of children.

The Met Police said it was for the court to decide whether the link between the children should be reported, but told the court they did not want to “inadvertently promote or encourage struggling mothers to abandon unwanted babies in public spaces”.

East London Family Court is taking part in a transparency pilot which has been extended to cover almost half of the family courts in England and Wales. This makes it easier for the BBC and other journalists to report on cases.

The BBC and PA Media argued in court that it was a matter of public interest that the three children were abandoned at birth by the same parents.

Carol Atkinson, the most senior judge at East London Family Court, agreed.

“Abandonment of a child in this country is a very, very unusual event,” she said, adding that there is considerable public interest in such cases for that reason.

She said the fact that the three babies were full siblings was, for the same reason, “of enormous interest” to “our present society”.

She said if she refused to report it would affect “public awareness” of these issues and restrict open justice in such cases.

The BBC and PA said further reports could help authorities find the children’s parents and that highlighting the relationship would put the spotlight back on the children’s mother.

Very few children are registered as abandoned at birth in England and Wales. The ONS only published data up to 2015 and it showed that no children were registered as abandoned in the last three years, with only one registered as abandoned in 2011.

The media reported on an abandoned baby in Hackney, east London, in 2020 – and another in Birmingham in 2021. Their mothers were eventually tracked down a few months later.