Kelsey Parker: Police Treated Me Like a Criminal

 says she was 'treated like a criminal' by 'unsympathetic' police officers in the wake of her devastating stillbirth. 

The mother-of-two, 36, was left devastated after baby son Phoenix, her first child with partner Will Lindsay, was '. 

Almost a year on from the tragedy, she recalled how police officers treated the area like a ' scene' after they were called to the scene as she went into unexpected natural labour at 39 weeks.

'There was no way a midwife was getting to me, we actually had her on FaceTime, Phoenix was born, and he was sleeping. He was stillborn,' Kelsey told on Wednesday.

'You could just see, you could see that he was no longer with us.'

Kelsey had been attending the party with daughter Aurelia, five, and son Bodhi, four, her children with late husband , when she went into labour - giving birth to Phoenix just seven minutes later. 

She recalled: 'Obviously straight away we called the ambulance. They took nine minutes to come. 

'When they arrived, the only way I can describe it, it was like I was in a film, and this wasn't real, and it wasn't happening to me. 

'They came in, they took him from me, I only ever got to hold Phoenix for nine minutes. That's the only time I got to hold him. They then called the police. The police arrived, they said that it was a crime scene. 

'But because I had no one present, a midwife, there was no handover. So the ambulance and paramedics, I don't know, they just came in, and it was awful.' 

She added: 'My children were there. Obviously I was also saying my children have been through so much, can we just calm down.' 

The mother-of-two Kelsey revealed that she was .

She said: 'I just wanted love and kindness. I don't think that it actually a lot to ask.  They [the paramedics] then took Phoenix off...

'The police, how they, their energies. I can't explain their energies. It was like "This is a crime scene."'

She continued: 'Phoenix has gone at this point. They've taken Phoenix off in an ambulance, I didn't see Phoenix. 

'They took him to A&E, they took me, which I pleaded and pleaded 'Please don't do this to me', they took me to the maternity ward, where people were delivering babies. 

'And they put me in a clinical white room. I get so emotional when I am actually thinking about it. Taking myself back to that. I literally get goose bumps, I'm so upset and angry with how they treated me.

'I pleaded. I know where I am going here. They are going to take me to a maternity ward. 

'Just let me be with my son. Let Will be with his son. Let one of us be there. If you think I have done something, okay, take me off, but let Will be with his son. Let someone be with Phoenix. He was on his own.'

Good Morning Britain host Ed Balls pointed out that it felt as though the paramedics, police and the hospital all 'got it wrong.'

'It was literally a domino effect,' she replied. 'They all rubbed off on each other. No one put their head above the water and went 'Hang on, let's all take a second'.

'I had a police officer outside the hospital room, I had to plead, I said "Okay, if I had Phoenix in hospital where would I be right now, having a stillborn baby in hospital?" 

'They went, "The Robinson Room", I said "Why am I not there?"

'When you have a stillborn baby, you have time, you could be in there a week, and have your baby with you. I didn't get that. 

'My bereavement nurse, protocol was not followed from the bereavement place. 

'What should have happened, Phoenix was born sleeping, they would have taken his blood there and then, it would have read no sign of life and Phoenix would have been left with me and Will at home. 

'As a family we could have processed that. They took everything away.' 

Recalling her time in the hospital, Kelsey said: 'It literally spiraled, and got worse and worse and worse. 

'I had him 7.30pm, they took him off and then came into my room at 11.00pm and announced him dead. Then I said can I go and get some fresh air and they said no.' 

Kelsey wanted to film her son's home birth and this later was used as evidence to prove that she had nothing do with her son's death. 

'Can you believe I'm having to say that?' Kelsey asked the broadcasters. 

'I'm pleading with them, 'Can you just watch this film, if you just watch the video, I can go down and I can be with my son'. 

'But no one watched it. They watched it at 1.30am.'   

Susanna asked: 'At what point then, when you are not having time with your baby, not being given the chance to grieve what is happening to you, at what point were you told we understand what has happened, we are sorry, you are supported?'

Kelsey said: 'That never happened for us. Even when I asked to go and hold Phoenix, they said I can hold him through a mattress.'

She continued: 'I wasn't allowed to physically hold Phoenix. They wanted me to hold him through a mattress. 

'Will never ever got to hold him. There was never time for Will and Phoenix.'

Kelsey went onto explain that her 'saving grace' was her late husband Tom, who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in 2020 and later passed away in 2022.

'Because I had been through this experience with Tom, I've spoken to brain surgeons all over the world. So actually, where Tom had put me in such a medical experience for 18 months, I wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid to use my voice.

'Whereas if I didn't have Tom, and I hadn't gone through that, I probably would have been so scared. I probably would have felt that I did actually do something wrong.' 

Ed asked: 'Have the hospital come forward to you now and said that they got it wrong, have they apologised, are they learning lessons?' 

'I've had a meeting with the ambulance service, what they said to me is they are really sorry, but the paramedics hadn't seen a still born baby before. 

'And I said, 'I'm sorry that is not my problem,'.

'How you treated me, I'm never going to get that time back. You striped everything from me and my family. 

'Even the police took the blankets he was born in. Everything. They've got the towels, they've got everything, still. 

'No one has got in contact with me. No one has given anything back to me.' 

'What has the hospital said?' Ed asked.

'Nothing. My bereavement nurse is literally an angel. She is my guardian angel. She wrote the protocol. Protocol was not followed,' Kelsey said. 

She continued: 'This is my time, this is why I am here. I think this has happened to me because I am going to be a voice for women. This can't happen to anyone else. 

'My review, my medical review, from trust, said everything was fine. How I was treated was absolutely fine. They couldn't see a problem with treatment.'

Susanna read out what a spokesperson for the Met Police has said: 'We understand this was deeply traumatic experience.

'We acknowledge that referring to the address as a crime scene was inappropriate and that the family could and should have been treated in a more sensitive way.

'A detective inspector has offered to meet with the family alongside a child bereavement nurse.' 

The Princess Royal University told the show that they can't comment on individual cases. 

Last year, after her devastating loss, Kelsey took to Instagram to share the heartbreaking news. 

She penned alongside a heartfelt poem: 'Phoenix Parker-Lindsay, you will forever be loved'.

The poem read: 'The world grew quiet as you arrived, So loved, so longed for, yet not alive. Our precious boy, our angel light, Born with wings, took silent flight'.

'We named you Phoenix, brave and bright. A soul of love, of warmth and light Though we never heard you cry, You'll live in hearts that won't ask why. No breath you drew, no eyes to see, Still, you mean everything to me. You'll journey with us, softly near, In every sigh, in every tear.' 

Later taking to her Instagram Stories she wrote: 'Before I receive an influx of lovely messages and heartfelt wishes, I wanted to just say that I truly appreciate everything you are all going to say and share'. 

'But with the news being so raw, I would really like to ensure that we as a family are given space and time to process this devastating and earth-shattering news'. 

Before adding: 'I love you all and thank you for your understanding and space. Love always, Kelsey, Will, and the Parker Family'.