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Baby

Age: 0

Sex: male

Date: 6 Apr 1960

Place: Coventry Canal, Nuneaton

The body of a newly-born male infant was found in the Coventry Canal at Nuneaton.

The inquest which was held in Nuneaton determined that the child had been strangled and returned a verdict of murder by some person or persons unknown.

The child’s body was found floating in a cellophane bag in the Coventry Canal at Nuneaton on Friday 6 April 1960. It was found by a 14-year-old boy who had lived in Stretton Road, Nuneaton who said that he had been out walking along the canal towpath with four other boys when they noticed the cellophane bag and recovered it. He said that when they examined the bag a brown paper bag dropped out and that they then found the body of the child.

The pathologist said that the child had been manually strangled, adding that 'It was undoubtedly a deliberate act'.

He said that the child had been born alive and that there were extensive injuries on its neck and no suggestion that the child had drowned.

He said that it had weighed 5¼lbs, had breathed and swallowed air and that he thought that it had been placed in the canal the previous night.

The police said that they had carried out extensive enquiries with assistance from the Midland crime Squad but that the parents had not been traced.

They said that a total of 8,897 houses had been visited in 145 streets and that 1,222 man-hours had been spent. They added that they had visited doctors, hospitals, midwives and welfare workers but added that enquiries were continuing.

After the verdict was returned at the inquest, the Coroner said, 'We can now conclude the enquiry, but that does not mean the police are not continuing enquiries'.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Birmingham Daily Post - Wednesday 27 July 1960

see Leicester Evening Mail - Tuesday 12 April 1960