The former boyfriend of a woman assaulted in the street so seriously that she lost her unborn baby has appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court, where he was remanded in custody.
Teaching assistant Kevin Wilson, 21, is accused under the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929 of child destruction following the assault, in which his 32 weeks pregnant ex-girlfriend Malorie Bantala, also 21, was kicked repeatedly in the stomach by two assailants wearing motorcycle helmets. There is unconfirmed speculation that Wilson was jealous that his former lover was expecting another man’s child.
The indictment reads: “With intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive, by a wilful act, namely kicking and stamping on the stomach of the 32-weeks pregnant mother, caused the child to die before it had an existence independent of its mother.”
Wilson is also charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Miss Bantala, who remains critically ill in intensive care. He is said by his lawyer to have handed himself in at a local police station on Tuesday, a day after the attack in Peckham.
Ms Bantala underwent life-saving surgery in hospital, where she was taken by police, who administered first aid after the London Ambulance Service took over an hour to respond having failed to prioritise a call from a member of public as an emergency. She had suffered major blood-loss at the scene.
London Ambulance Service has apologised for failing to send paramedics to help Miss Bantala at the scene. A spokeswoman for LAS said: “We are very sorry that we were unable to send an ambulance before we were cancelled by the police at 9.25pm and are now looking into the circumstances of what happened.”
The defendant and the victim were said to have known each other for five years. Police are still looking for the second assailant and are appealing for witnesses.
