Protesters gathered in front of Camden's town hall after an inquest found social services 'let down' a woman whose baby died after she gave birth alone in her prison cell.
Rianna Cleary was 18 when she was sent to HMP Bronzefield Prison in Surrey in August 2019.
An inquest heard she delivered her daughter Aisha a few weeks later in the early hours of September 27 - between 1.40am and 7.30am.
Senior coroner for Surrey Richard Travers could not conclude a cause of death as it was not possible to determine whether the baby was stillborn or died after birth.
Following the baby's inquest, campaigners from the Legal Action for Women and the All African Women's Group picketed the council's offices in Kings Cross on August 2.
The coroner condemned Camden Social Services & Bronzefield prison for “serious failings” that contributed to the baby's death.
Mr Travers said Rianna, who is Black, was an "extremely vulnerable teenager" whose childhood had been "traumatic as a result of neglect and abuse".
She was referred to Camden’s Children’s Services as homeless in 2018, assigned a social worker and placed in Cecil House, a hostel for young care leavers aged between 16 and 25.
The inquest heard she was "groomed and exploited... in a criminal world" and sometimes went missing.
In February 2019 she was arrested and taken into police custody, where a test showed she was pregnant.
Camden's social services assigned the unborn baby to a social worker and wrote to Rianna warning her of court action to take Aisha from her after she was born.
Highlighting Rianna's mistrust of authorities, Mr Travers said: "The state agencies and clinicians ought to have understood, and ought to have taken account of the fact, that Ms Cleary’s traumatic background and the prospect of her baby being removed from her were likely to have affected her willingness to engage."
Rianna said she attended some pregnancy classes in prison, but they were a "constant reminder" about the threats to take her baby away.
Rianna tried twice to summon help as she went into labour. After pressing the buzzer at 8.07pm she was asked why she wanted a nurse or an ambulance. She said: "I don’t know just get me a fucking nurse or an ambulance."
She explained in her own account: "At the time, I didn’t know why I needed a nurse or ambulance, I just knew that I was in a lot of pain and I needed one."
Nobody responded to her second call at 8.32pm. When an officer flashed a light in later that evening she said she was in so much pain she could not even call out.
From her memory of the last thing she remembered seeing on television, a report concluded Rianna passed out at 1.40am.
Recalling giving birth, she said: "There was blood everywhere. … I didn’t know what to do but I just felt that I should cut the cord. I put Aisha on a towel, I bit the cord and tied it, and I put the placenta in the bin… I got back into the bed with Aisha and I sat holding her. Two prisoners came to my cell first and they called the nurse."
Nina Lopez, from Support Not Separation, a coalition to end the separation of children from their mothers, said: "Camden Social Services are often cited as the 'gold standard' to which other local authorities should aspire.
"Really? We hope Ms Cleary and other mothers like her and their children can expect better treatment from now on. We will all be watching."
Sara Callaway, from Women of Colour in the Global Women’s Strike, added: “Giving evidence at the inquest, Ms Clearly wondered 'if I was being treated differently from [other women in prison] because of my race, because I was young, or because of my past'.
"From experience with many mothers, we can say absolutely: being Black, young and a care leaver are all excuses to forcibly remove children from their mothers."
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “This was a tragic case. We are desperately sad that a mother lost her child in these circumstances. Our deepest sympathies are with her.
“We are committed to providing the best possible support to young people in our care by addressing all the learning that has been identified.”
An HMP Bronzefield spokesperson said: “We are truly sorry that Ms Cleary gave birth alone in her cell and continue to extend our sincere condolences for the sad and tragic death of Aisha.
"In the four years that have passed, our priority has been to implement effective and positive changes in the prison.
"We will now review these in light of the Coroner’s conclusions, as we continue to improve support for pregnant women in our care.”
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