Indian-origin nurse charged in death of 7-year-old in UK hospital

London: An Indian-origin nurse appeared in court for allegedly killing a seven-year-old boy at a private children’s hospital in Britain in 2016 by switching off his vital breathing device.

Anuradha Bhupathiraju, 62, was charged with gross negligence manslaughter for turning off the breathing monitor for more than two hours without a doctor’s permission, the Daily Mail reported.

As a consequence, James Dwerryhouse died of severe brain injury.

Bhupathiraju, with more than three decades of nursing experience, appeared before the Westminster magistrates last week, and confirmed her name, date of birth and her address.

Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring, granted her bail pending a plea hearing at Southwark crown court due this month. He also prohibited her from leaving the UK and ordered her to surrender her passport.

James, who suffered from a number of health conditions, including needing to be fed through a tube, bowel problems and epilepsy, had gone to the hospital on August 25, 2016 for a routine bowel operation. He was attached to the breathing equipment as he suffered from sleep apnoea, a condition that results in life-threatening pauses in breathing.

James’ father had testified during the inquest that his son was playful and energetic after he regained consciousness following his surgery on August 25. But the parents received an early morning call from the hospital stating that James was unwell and they were required to come immediately.

After arriving, the parents observed that their son’s eyes were partially closed and he had rashes all over his body. According to Daily Mail, the equipment was allegedly removed during the early hours of the morning, and James died on August 28.