A mother was unable to abort her severely disabled son despite doctors’ warnings after seeing her baby’s smile in a 3D scan picture.

Katyia Rowe was told her baby’s brain had not formed properly and that he would never walk or talk and would need 24-hour care.

But after seeing real-time moving scans of him smiling, blowing bubbles, kicking and waving his arms she made the heartbreaking decision to go through with the birth.

Tragically Lucian, as she named him, died nine hours after he was born.

Mother Katyia Rowe gave birth to her severely disabled son Lucian, despite doctors advising her to have an abortion, after seeing a 3D scan of him smiling, pictured

Katyia, 26, a training administrator, said: ‘We were devastated to be told our son’s  brain abnormalities were so severe they were life limiting we should  consider a termination.

‘Further scans were arranged to asses  the extent of his disabilities but when I saw him smiling and playing  inside me I knew I couldn’t end his life.

‘As long as he was pain free I vowed to let him enjoy his life both while inside me and outside, no matter how long that be.’

Miss Rowe, from Telford, Shropshire was thrilled to discover she was expecting a baby with partner of four years security officer Shane Johnson, 26, in March last year.

She added: ‘It was a shock but we were thrilled. Shane and I were so excited and looking forward to the birth. We had so many plans for the future and could not wait to meet our baby.

Katyia Rowe and her partner Shane decided to have the baby despite the complications, saying the child deserved to live

‘Our first scan at three months was wonderful. When we saw our baby on screen for the first time we fell in love straight away. As far as we were concerned everything was perfect.’

The couple decided to wed when their son was old enough to walk down the aisle with them.

Only the 20-week scan highlighted complications.

Following further tests, doctors told Miss Rowe and her partner of four years that their baby’s brain had no  formed properly and he would be severely disabled.

They were then told the tragic news by experts at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that their child would never walk or talk and would need 24-hour care.

The couple were offered the chance to terminate the baby at 24-weeks.

But despite his poor prognosis, being able to watch her son in real time 3D scans during the screening tests, Miss Rowe said she was astonished to see him smiling, blowing bubbles, kicking and waving his arms.

She said: ‘Despite all the awful things I was being told, while he was inside me his quality of life looked to be wonderful and no different to any other baby’s, he was a joy to watch.

‘I was told he would never walk or talk yet the scans showed him constantly wriggling and moving.

‘As I watched I knew that while I was carrying him he still had a quality of life and it was my duty as a mother to protect that no matter how long he had left, he deserved to live.’

The couple pictured together in the room that was decorated for their baby boy Lucian. Tragically he died nine hours after his birth

Katyia was told if her son survived  birth he would require 24 -hour care for the duration of his life  expected to be anything up to five years.

She added: ‘It didn’t phase me at  all. It was ironic because I had never considered myself particularly  maternal but now I wanted nothing more than to care for my son and give  him the best quality of life possible. I was more than happy to dedicate my life fully to his care.

Katyia Rowe who went through the birth of her baby, pictured in a frame, and said she didn’t regret her decision

‘I researched all his disabilities to prepare myself fully for his needs. I never had a moment of doubt. I  only had to look at the scan pictures of him enjoying life in the womb  to know I was doing the right thing by giving him a chance.

‘Not knowing how long he would live  meant we were determined to enjoy him for as long as we could. We  learned he loved the shower and would kick when I sprayed the water on  my tummy.

‘As he grew bigger I could see his  little feet and hands prodding through my bump when he wriggled. He may  not have been born but he was already our son and I took each movement  as a sign we had done the right thing.

‘I would talk to him and play him music because I wanted him to experience as much as possible.’

Because of her son’s disabilities he  couldn’t swallow the amniotic fluid surrounding him meaning Kaytia had  to undergo painful draining procedures for the last nine weeks of her  pregnancy.

She said: ‘It was agony and I knew  some people questioned if it was worth putting myself through all this  for a severely disabled baby that may not live for long.

‘But I never ever thought like that.  As a mother you will do anything for your child and for me I became a  mother as soon as I fell pregnant, that job had started already.’

And for Katyia the rewards for her  pregnancy were she says the most joyful and fulfilling nine hours of her life – the time she spent with her son.

He was delivered after being induced  when her waters went on October 23rd last year at the Royal Shrewsbury  hospital and as expected was rushed straight to special baby care for  his condition to be assessed.

She says: ‘I was prepared not to be  taking our baby straight home like all the other new parents, but beyond that I didn’t know what the future held.’

But shortly after the birth midwives burst into the delivery suite and warned Katyia her son had just minutes to live.

She says: ‘I was shocked but we had  already decided that after his birth we would let Lucian lead the way. I didn’t want him given any unnecessary treatment if ultimately it  wouldn’t help him.

‘He had already given me the greatest honour of being his mummy for the last nine months. It was up to him  now if he was ready to go.’

Katyia rushed to his side and finally the son she had nurtured for nine months was placed in her arms.

She said: ‘It was without doubt the happiest  moment of my life. Lucian could have died at anytime in my womb but he  held on long enough for us to meet properly.

‘My son looked utterly perfect.

‘The love and joy I felt the moment they put Lucian in my arms told me it had all been worth it.’

She added: ‘I thought I didn’t want  to be a mother but Lucian taught me it is the most wonderful job in the  world and I will always be grateful for that.’

Before his death he was held in his mother’s arms and he even met his grandparents.

To donate to charity Sands in Lucian’s memory visit here.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2262242/Mother-took-heartbreaking-decision-severely-disabled-baby-aborted-seeing-smile-3D-scan-picture.html?printingPage=true

8 May 2012           06:18 ET

The family of a teenage girl who died at a Shropshire campsite from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning have said they are “devastated”.

Hannah Thomas-Jones, 14, was found dead inside a tent, where family members were discovered unconscious, on Sunday.

A used disposable barbecue was found close to Hannah, and her brother, 11, mother and step-father.

The head teacher at Wilmslow High School, where Hannah was in year nine, said her death was a very sad loss.

A statement from Royal Shrewsbury Hospital said it is hoped Hannah’s brother, who has not yet been named, will be well enough to leave later.

‘A* pupil’

Head teacher Gillian Bremner said: “Our sympathies go out to her family at this time after such a tragic incident.

“She was a very able girl and was just about to do a short course in religious studies which we expected her to get an A* in.”

Mrs Bremner also said Hannah played in the school’s football and hockey teams and took part in the band.

A statement has been released by the hospital on behalf of the family: “We are devastated by this tragic accident and would ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

West Midlands Ambulance service said Hannah was pronounced dead at the scene of the campsite in Bucknell.

Her mother and step-father have left hospital. It is hoped her brother will be well enough to leave hospital later, West Mercia Police said.

Phil and Debra Wright, who own the Baron at Bucknell pub and its adjacent campsite, said they had seen a disposable barbecue in the porch of the family’s tent.

A spokesperson from the police said officers are continuing to work on the investigation with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Hannah’s death is not being treated as suspicious.

from:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17988471

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The incident took place at a campsite in Bucknell, South Shropshire

The unnamed girl, believed to be 14, was found unconscious inside the tent at a campsite in Bucknell, South Shropshire, yesterday morning.

It is thought she died from cardiac arrest after carbon monoxide poisoning that saw her mother, stepfather and brother, believed to be 11, all taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

West Mercia Police said they were not treating the girl’s death as suspicious.

The owners of the campsite and the adjacent Baron at Bucknell pub, Phil and Debra Wright, said the family was part of a larger group made up of the mother’s two sisters, their partners and children.

‘They had gone into the tent and found them all unconscious. One of the sisters came and said, “We need an ambulance urgently”,’ Mr Wright said.

‘There was a disposable barbecue which they had used the night before in the porch of the tent.’

He added: ‘The emergency services were on the scene within five minutes. They worked on the girl for some time but they couldn’t save her.

‘It has been devastating. It is really tragic. Nobody has done anything wrong, they have just not realised the dangers of disposable barbecues.

‘You don’t realise that they are giving off fumes for hours and hours after you have used them.’

In a statement released through the hospital, the family said they were ‘devastated’ at the girl’s death.

‘Our priority as a family is to ensure that the three people in hospital get well and are fully recovered,’ the statement said.

‘We are devastated by this tragic accident and will release a full statement at a later date. We would ask that you respect our privacy at this time.’

Police meanwhile said they would not have much ‘longer term involvement’.

Detective Inspector Gavin Kinrade said: ‘Although our work at the scene concluded yesterday afternoon, we will continue to work with the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service to investigate this incident.

‘We are treating the girl’s death as unexplained, but there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. It is therefore unlikely we will have any longer term involvement with this incident.’

He added: ‘The teenage boy is described as being stable but as still “unwell” at the hospital this morning, while the man and the woman are now said to be in a comfortable condition.

‘Unless there are any significant changes, please be aware there are unlikely to be any further updates from the hospital today.’

He was enjoying a kickabout at a recreation ground close to his home in Caersws, Powys on Friday when the freak accident happened.

Casey Breese died in a freak accident while playing football (Facebook)

The goalpost fell to the ground and struck Casey, who suffered head serious injuries.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before an air ambulance transferred him to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.

Villagers left flowers at the football pitch and more than 1,500 people have posted messages on the RIP Casey Breese Facebook page.

His cousin Jodie Breese wrote: ‘Sadly my little cousin has been taken away from us all, much loved by everyone in village, always willing to help anyone, and had a lovely smile on his face at all times.

‘Casey my love u will never be forgotten and will be hugely missed by us all. rest in peace my little man. God bless, lots of love. Xxx’

Dyfed-Powys Police and Powys Council’s environmental health department are investigating the cause of the accident.

A spokesman said: ‘The goalposts have been taken away by the police, who have also spoken with the other children and some adults who were in the area at the time.

‘The children present have been affected by the incident and a specially-trained officer will be speaking with their families and, if necessary, further support will be put in place.’

Image via Wikipedia

This is my letter I sent to David Wright MP today:

I am writing to you as a constituent of Telford, to ask for your support for services for premature and sick babies. It may be a little hard to believe but I too was a sick and premature baby born in 1979 in Swindon and was only saved by the determination and hard work of my parents and doctors and nurses. My story, sadly, is an exception rather than the rule for premature babies.

I’m desperately concerned that the current changes to the NHS could result in babies born too soon, too small or too sick being inappropriately and unnecessarily transferred long distances in the search for a hospital cot and denied the care they need when they get there. There’s a story in today’s Shropshire Star of a family in a similar position to mine having a premature baby which is being used to argue to keep neonatal care at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. The lives of small, vulnerable children must not be politicised in this way. The best location for the most people should be a driver for decisions, not an emotive personal story that plays with “What if…?” scenarios.

Currently neonatal care in England is organised in over 20 neonatal managed clinical networks. The networks were first established in 2003 to improve the safety and effectiveness of services for mothers and babies. By 2007, the National Audit Office found that the establishment of networks had already resulted in improved communication and coordination between neonatal units and significantly reduced the number of mothers and babies being transferred long distances for care.

The Health and Social Care Bill currently going through Parliament does not set out how managed clinical networks, including neonatal networks, will be supported in the new NHS structures. If these networks are abolished, or stripped of their resources to perform their role, it will lead to many more babies being unnecessarily transferred long distances across the country. This would place a huge financial, practical and emotional strain on families forced to travel many miles every day to see their baby. I believe that it would be disastrous to turn the clocks back to the time before 2003 when long distance transfers of premature and sick babies across the country were a common occurrence.

Neonatal services are already overstretched and understaffed. Research by Bliss, the special care baby charity shows that an extra 1,150 neonatal nurses are needed for all hospitals caring for babies born premature and sick to meet minimum standards set out in the NHS and Department of Health’s Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services (Toolkit), published in 2009. In the light of these pressures already facing services for premature and sick babies, any cuts to neonatal nursing jobs could put babies lives at risk: evidence published in the BMJ in 2006 shows that “increasing the ratio of nurses with neonatal qualifications to intensive care and high dependency infants to 1:1 was associated with a decrease in risk-adjusted mortality of 48%.” In other words if the standard of one neonatal nurse per baby in intensive care as set out in the Toolkit is met, more babies are likely to survive.

I am asking you to write to Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State of Health, on my behalf urging him to ensure that the important role performed by neonatal managed clinical networks is not lost in the new NHS structures. In particular, to ensure that the Government:

• Sets out clear plans about how funding for neonatal networks will be continued in the short term while the current structures are being wound down and the new bodies created

• Clarifies how the important work of networks will be continued under the new bodies they are introducing

• Ensures that their plans for maternity networks compliment the work of neonatal networks

• Provides guidance to NHS bodies responsible for commissioning and providing neonatal care that the minimum nursing standards as set out in the Toolkit should be implemented and that efficiency savings should not impact on frontline neonatal services

In addition, I would be grateful if you could write to the Chief Executives of the local Primary Care Trust and regional Strategic Health Authorities and ask them to:

• Ensure that no neonatal nursing jobs are cut

• Put initiatives in place to recruit more neonatal nurses to ensure that more babies are likely to survive in neonatal care

I would be grateful if you could send me a copy of your letters, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Ben Whitehouse.

Sarah Pearse, 19, was one of twelve people injured in the blast in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on Sunday.

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She was taken to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where a hospital spokesman described her condition as “extremely critical”.

Two other people seriously injured in the explosion, a man and woman, were said to be in a “critical but stable” condition at the hospital.

The blast is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. Police and Health and Safety Executive contractors were at the scene, on the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road, near Welsh Bridge, working to pinpoint the source.

Superintendent Martin Whitelegg, from West Mercia Police, said: “There is no evidence that this was a criminal incident, we are not treating it as a crime at this current time.

“It is being treated as a probable gas leak… it is believed the explosion was caused by an escape of gas in the vicinity, either in the street or in the building.”

One woman inside the flats was flung from a room in the first floor of the building onto the street outside, such was the ferocity of the explosion. Another man was trapped on the ground floor and five people in a car outside had to be dragged free by bystanders after the vehicle was struck by falling rubble.

A police spokesman said on-site investigations would continue for “several days, if not a week”.

A number of witnesses have told officers they could smell gas in the area close to the flats before the explosion at 11.30am and a nearby gas main has been isolated, the police spokesman added. Roads close to the scene remained cordoned-off this afternoon and the streets adjacent to the flats were still covered with shattered glass, blown out by the blast.

Mohammed Asha, who was cleared of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions following the 2007 terror bids, was working at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) in Shropshire, The Sun said.

The Government last week withdrew a long-standing attempt to deport the 28-year-old, despite previously maintaining he was a threat to national security.

According to The Sun, Dr Asha started work at the RSH last week, a few days before the Home Office dropped its deportation bid.

Nobody at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was immediately available to comment on the report and a spokesman for the Department of Health was unable to confirm his employment status.

When the deportation case was dropped, Dr Asha’s solicitor said the father of one was determined to resume his career in the NHS.

Tayab Ali said: “Mohammed Asha always said he was innocent and was not a threat to national security. Now, finally, he has been entirely vindicated.

“Hopefully he can now get back to his position before June 30, which was offering help and support to people in the UK by being an NHS doctor.”

He was arrested on the day of the Glasgow bomb attack, June 30 2007. At the time, he worked for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent.

Dr Asha spent more than a year on remand before being cleared of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court.

The Home Office deportation case against him was due to be heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) in October.

At a Siac bail hearing in January, lawyers for the Home Secretary said Dr Asha was a threat to national security and should be sent back to Jordan.

But the panel, chaired by Mr Justice Mitting, ruled he could be released on bail. The panel also said it was not in the public interest that he be prevented from working for the NHS.

At the hearing, the Home Office maintained Dr Asha had provided “substantial funds” to Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdulla, who was sentenced to 32 years in prison for conspiracy to murder.

Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed, who died in the attacks, plotted to kill hundreds of people by planting two bombs in the West End in June 2007.

When that failed, they drove a Jeep packed with petrol bombs and gas canisters into a terminal building at Glasgow Airport.

At a court hearing, a colleague, consultant neurosurgeon Rupert Price, gave Dr Asha a glowing reference, saying he would not be surprised if Dr Asha became the best neurologist in Britain.

Mohammed Asha, who was cleared of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions following the 2007 terror bids, is continuing his doctor training at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shropshire.

Mohammed Asha, who was cleared over bomb conspiracies, is working as a casualty unit doctor

The Government last week withdrew a long-standing attempt to deport the 28-year-old, despite previously maintaining that he was a threat to national security.

The hospital said Dr Asha began working for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust after the Government dropped its deportation application.

Trust chief executive Tom Taylor said: “Dr Mohammed Jamil Asha is a very capable young doctor and we are very pleased that he is continuing his training in our hospitals.

“It is important to remember that he has been proven innocent and the Government had withdrawn its application for deportation before he returned to the trust last week. We hope everyone will judge him on the basis of his medical skills, and respect his and our wishes to let him continue his training in peace.”

Dr Asha was arrested on the day of the Glasgow bomb attack, June 30 2007. At the time, he worked for the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent.

Dr Asha spent more than a year on remand before being cleared by a jury at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions.

When the deportation case was dropped, Dr Asha’s solicitor said the father-of-one was determined to resume his career in the NHS. The Home Office deportation case against him was due to be heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) in October.

At a Siac bail hearing in January, lawyers for the Home Secretary said Dr Asha was a threat to national security and should be sent back to Jordan. But the panel, chaired by Mr Justice Mitting, ruled he could be released on bail. The panel also said it was not in the public interest that he be prevented from working for the NHS.

:: June 26 Mohammed Asha first travels to the UK from Jordan and trains at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. Over the next three years he is given visa extensions to undertake language and medical exams and eventually granted a work permit under the highly-skilled migrant programme in June 2006.

The vehicle used in the attack on Glasgow Airport

2004 :: May Kafeel Ahmed, studies for a PhD at Anglia Ruskin University, moves to 205 Gilbert Road, Cambridge. Bilal Abdulla also travels to Cambridge to study medicine and lives in Chesterton Road. The two men meet during this time and are introduced to Asha in January 2005.

2005 :: May Asha is employed for two months at the Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, South Wales. In August he moves on to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he remains as a junior doctor for a year.

:: June Kafeel Ahmed returns home to India citing an illness in the family and travels to China, Paris and Saudi Arabia.

:: September Kafeel Ahmed travels to the UK twice to carry out laboratory test work.

2006

:: February Abdulla lives at 51 Spalding Way, Cambridge, for the next seven months.

:: August Abdulla joins Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, until December 5. He then moves to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. Asha joins the North Staffordshire NHS Trust and moves to a rented home at 4 Sunningdale Grove, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

2007

:: February Asha meet Abdulla in Preston and gives him a mobile phone. The two men often phone each other and meet up.

:: March Abdulla regularly chats online with Ahmed who is in Bangalore. The men discuss renting a house, money and Asha.

:: April 27 Abdulla views 6 Neuk Crescent, Houston, near Glasgow, and agrees to let the semi-detached property. It is later transformed into a bomb factory.

:: May 5 Kafeel Ahmed flies from Mumbai to London Heathrow and is met by Abdulla. They hire a car and travel to Scotland via an overnight stay at Asha’s home.

:: May 17 Kafeel Ahmed and Abdulla travel to London where they travel around on tourist buses and stay overnight at the Newham Hotel, east London. They are caught on camera circling central London late at night in a hire car.

:: May 25 Electrical components are ordered in Abdulla’s name and over the next few weeks a string of purchases for bomb materials are made by Kafeel Ahmed at hardware stores across the North West and in Scotland.

:: June 2 Kafeel Ahmed purchases a green Mercedes for £700 from a private vendor in Warrington, Cheshire. Over the next week he uses cash to buy a white BMW, followed by a silver Mercedes, blue Mercedes and a green Jeep Cherokee. All the cars were advertised in Autotrader.

:: June 28 Two of the Mercedes cars, each loaded with petrol, gas canisters and nails, are driven from Scotland to London by Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed.

:: June 29 Shortly before 1.30am, a green Mercedes, driven by Abdulla, is left outside the busy Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket. The second blue car, driven by Kafeel Ahmed, is parked at a bus stop in adjacent Cockspur Street.

Both vehicles also contain mobile phone detonators. The green car is quickly discovered and made safe by bomb squad officers.

The second is towed to a car pound in Park Lane where it is found and made safe several hours later.

Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed spend the night at the Newham Hotel, east London, before returning to Neuk Crescent on public transport, via a brief meeting with Asha outside his workplace in Stoke.

:: June 30 About 6.30am: Ahmed and Abdulla travel to Lock Lomond. They pray and prepare for the attack. Ahmed texts instructions to his brother Sabeel to access his will.

3.13pm: Ahmed drives the Jeep Cherokee, heavily laden with petrol, gas canisters and nails, into the main terminal building at Glasgow Airport.

Abdulla, who was sitting in the passenger seat, throws petrol bombs and fights with police and bystanders in the resulting chaos.

Some time after 4pm: Sabeel Ahmed views his brother’s will, saved in a draft folder on an internet email account. He is later arrested at Liverpool Lime Street train station.

9pm: Asha is arrested as he drives south on the M6 with his wife and young son.

:: July 6 Abdulla is charged with conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions.

:: July 15 Sabeel Ahmed is charged with possessing information that could have prevented an act of terrorism.

:: July 19 Asha is charged with conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions.

:: August 2 Kafeel Ahmed dies from burns suffered during the Glasgow Airport attack at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley.

2008 :: April 11 Sabeel Ahmed admits withholding information from police about the Glasgow Airport attack and is deported to India.

:: October 9 Abdulla and Asha go on trial at Woolwich Crown Court.

:: December 16 Abdulla is convicted of conspiracy to murder and to cause explosions. Asha is acquitted of the same charges.

Woolwich Crown Court heard how Kafeel Ahmed, Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha were part of a terrorist cell.

Here are some of the details presented to the jury:

::Kafeel AhmedAhmed died from burns four weeks after the Jeep laden with petrol and gas canisters was rammed into the terminal building at Glasgow Airport, the court was told.

Mr Laidlaw said Ahmed, who is from Bangalore, India, is from a medical family with both parents and a brother, Sabeel, working in the profession.

The prosecutor said Ahmed, 28, studied mechanical engineering at university in India before attending Queen’s College in Belfast to read a masters in aeronautical engineering between 2001 and 2003.

From there Ahmed went to Cambridge to undertake a three-year doctorate at the Anglia Ruskin University but was forced to return to India in June 2005 because of a family illness.

He continued his studies in India and returned to the UK twice in September 2006 and May 2007, the jury was told.

Mr Laidlaw said Ahmed met the two defendants in Cambridge while living at a property in Gilbert Road owned by a charity called The Islamic Academy.

He said: “Through the house and because there were occasions that they prayed together, friendships were formed.”

The prosecutor said Ahmed’s brother Sabeel pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey earlier this year to an offence connected to the bombings but stressed he was not involved in the plot.

Mr Laidlaw said Sabeel Ahmed worked at the Warrington Hospital at the time of the attack and lived in shared accommodation in Ramilies Road, Liverpool.

::Bilal AbdullaAbdulla was born on August 24, 1979, in the UK, although he is an Iraqi citizen and was educated in Baghdad.

He graduated in medicine from the University of Baghdad in 2004. He then returned to the UK to study for exams that would enable him to continue his training and work in this country.

Abdulla studied in Cambridge and was living in Chesterton Road, near where Kafeel Ahmed was also living at the time.

After visiting Iraq between May and July 2006, Abdulla joined the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Scotland, as a junior house officer in general surgery.

The prosecution suggested that the events in Iraq at this time provided the “principal motivation” for him becoming involved in alleged terrorist attacks in the UK.

Abdulla is a strictly observant Muslim and known for being knowledgeable about the Koran. He also speaks and reads Arabic.

::Mohammed Asha

Asha is a Jordanian who was born in Saudi Arabia on September 16, 1980.

He was a gifted child and won a scholarship to read medicine at the University of Amman in Jordan.

He trained at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge in 2003, during which time he apparently met Abdulla and Sabeel and Kafeel Ahmed.

After graduating in Jordan in 2004, he trained at the Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli in Wales and then joined the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in August 2005.

At the time of the attacks in June last year he was working as a senior house officer in the neurology department at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Asha is described as a strictly observant Muslim and was considered to be “an extremely talented doctor and a man of considerable potential”, the court was told.

Asha is married with a two-year-old child called Anas.

At the time of his arrest last year he was living in Sunningdale Grove in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.

Asha and his family had been due to go on holiday in Jordan in mid-July last year, before the doctor took up his next medical post in neurosurgery at the Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry.

Emma Gough, 22, of Telford, Shropshire, died following the birth of her children at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on October 25.

The twins, who are healthy, are being cared for by their father, Anthony Gough, 24, it has been reported.

Terry Lovejoy, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Telford, said today that the local religious community has offered support to the bereaved family.

He said: “We are supporting the family – they are going through a very difficult time and we understand their grief.”

He would not comment further on the circumstances of the death.

A spokesman for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital would not comment on the death.

An inquest into the death has been opened and adjourned, according to the coroner’s department in Shrewsbury.

Paul Gillies, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Britain, explained that members of the faith believe that blood transfusions are prohibited by certain Biblical passages.

He said: “It’s all to do with our relationship with our Creator, Jehovah.

“We take the views on blood that we do because we want to have a good conscience.”

He went on: “For us, the decision about blood isn’t as difficult as people would imagine because we have confidence that the Creator knows what he is talking about.”

The constable, who has not been named, was gunned down near a flat in the Castlefields area of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, by an offender who is believed to have shot himself moments later.

Community support officers seal off a road in Shrewsbury

The gunman, who has also yet to be identified, is said to have been involved in a heated row with his partner in the hours before the fatal shootings.

It is understood that no police firearm was discharged during the incident, and that a weapon was recovered from the scene.

The gunman was found dead near his home and the police officer pronounced dead on arrival at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, despite the efforts of paramedics to save him.

A spokesman for West Mercia Constabulary said post-mortem examinations on both men had yet to be carried out, although the force has confirmed its officer suffered a fatal firearm wound.

Speaking at a press conference at Shrewsbury Guildhall, the West Mercia Chief Constable, Paul West, paid tribute to the bravery of his officers.

Mr West told reporters: “The death of a serving police officer has had a profound effect on everyone who works for West Mercia Constabulary.

“While I am not yet in a position to name the officer who died because there are still members of his family who need to be notified, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the enormous dedication and bravery of all police officers who day in, day out, put themselves at risk to respond to calls for assistance.”

The Chief Constable added: “The whole force is extremely shocked and saddened by the death of one of our colleagues and it is important to remember that another man has also died today. The family of the officer who has died are understandably devastated by what has happened and they have asked that the media respect their wish for privacy to enable them to cope and grieve over the coming days.”

The constable was shot after police were called to a “domestic related incident” at an address in New Park Road, Shrewsbury at 6.10am.

Community support officers seal off a road in Shrewsbury

He was taken by ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, a police spokesman said.

A man in his thirties was found dead at the scene of the incident and a firearm was recovered. No one else was injured.

The spokesman said: “Police in Shrewsbury are appealing for witnesses and information following an incident in which a police officer received fatal injuries.

“Officers were called to a domestic related incident at an address in New Park Road, Shrewsbury at about 6.10am. On arrival, officers were confronted by a man with a firearm.

“A police constable received a fatal firearm wound. He was taken by ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and the coroner for Mid and North Shropshire have both been informed.

Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, the spokesman said.

Chief Constable Paul West said: “The thoughts of everyone are with the family of our officer and others affected by this incident at this desperately sad time. A thorough investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this incident will be carried out in close consultation with the IPCC.”