Mother Accused of Killing Newborn in Crete 'asked to Hold Baby' in Hospital

The British woman accused of killing her baby in a holiday apartment in Crete has begged doctors to let her hold her dead son one last time, hospital sources said today.

Leah Andrew, 20, from London, was arrested yesterday after detectives discovered the body of her newborn baby in a holiday apartment in the Crete town of Malia, where she is on holiday with friends and her 24-year-old sister.

She has denied killing her baby, claiming he was stillborn. Police said yesterday that a pathologist had said the baby was healthy at birth but had died from asphyxiation. Officers said they had discovered the dead baby in the hotel room, covered with sheets.

Andrew, who has two other young sons, was taken to the university hospital on the island where she has been placed under 24-hour guard amid fears she may harm herself.

Today, the nurse looking after her, Helen Kastrinaki, said that Andrew, who was in a stable condition after suffering extensive bleeding, had kept her pregnancy a secret and had told staff she had not murdered the baby.

"She only said that when she woke up in the morning she felt something like a push," Kastrinaki told the Guardian. "She went to the toilet and she had the baby which she said was dead when it was born."Staff at the hospital said Andrew's sister had rushed down to reception screaming after discovering what had happened. Today the hospital's manager, Christos Melas, said he spoke to Andrew yesterday for 15 minutes and said she had repeatedly asked to see her dead son.

"She asked several times if she could see her baby," said Melas. "I don't know if she knows the baby is dead, she is very confused and I didn't want to say something that would damage her so I tried to move the conversation on."

A judge was due to visit Andrew in hospital this afternoon. She will then have three days to make a statement before a Greek court, which will then decide whether she should be released on bail or sent to prison awaiting trial.

A police source on the island said that anyone accused of murder was unlikely to be granted bail, adding that a trial would probably take at least a year to come to court.

Yesterday at the family's home in Catford, south London, Andrews' father, Isaac, said: "It's a great shock for the family. We're still trying to take it all in ? We had no idea she was having a child. At the moment we're just holding on. We hope this is just a terrible mix-up."