Woman arrested after baby falls from sixth-floor window

Officers were called to Barkerend Road, Bradford, at about 5.10pm on Saturday afternoon following a report that a child had suffered life-threatening injuries.

It quickly became apparent that the 18-month-old boy had died, West Yorkshire Police said.

Detective Superintendent Nick Wallen, who is leading the investigation, said: “This is clearly an extremely traumatic incident and specially trained officers are working to support the child’s family members and those who witnessed what took place.

“It is no exaggeration to say those who witnessed this incident will have been deeply traumatised by what they saw.

“A 23-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the baby’s fall and she is currently receiving medical assessment in custody.”

Police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident but have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

Newcastle House, which has shops on the ground floor and seven stories of flats above, stands above Bradford city centre.

Entry to the building is controlled by intercom.

A retired resident on the same landing where the boy fell said he did not know the people involved.

He said: “There’s quiet a high turnover of people in these flats, you wouldn’t necessarily know your neighbours. I just keep to myself.

“There’s babies and toddlers around and I have a four-year-old living above me.

“I don’t think they should be living in high rises.

“When I moved in, in 2000, there was an age restriction and no-one under the age of 35 lived here.

“When it changed from the council to a housing trust, that restriction disappeared.”

The resident saw police activity in the block on Saturday night but did not know what happened until he saw the news this morning.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “It’s hard to take.”

His living room windows - which offer views across the city to the football stadium - only open four inches, he said.

“It was blowing a gale and there was a lot of rain so I kept mine closed,” he said.

He said there were people of different nationalities living in the block.

“You do notice different accents,” he said. “They don’t tend to stay that long, they move to the private sector or buy a property.”

Notices in the lobby were displayed in English and translated into several different languages.