A MUM died cradling her baby son while on hold to police after her violent ex attacked her, an inquest heard.
Daniela Espirito Santo, 23, had been told to dial the non-emergency 101 number but was left on hold for eight minutes.
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When the call handler finally answered, all they could hear was Daniela’s six-month-old baby crying.
The mum-of-two, who suffered from a heart condition known as myocarditis, died as a “result of acute deterioration of the heart”.
The inquest was told Daniela had called police multiple times about her partner Julio Jesus between May 2019 and April 2020.
On the day before her death, he was arrested after pinning the mum down and pushing his arms against her throat.
He was bailed on the condition he did not return to Daniela’s home in Grantham, Lincolnshire, but he went back to her house that night.
At 11.22pm, Daniela called 999 to report Jesus had attacked her but the call was deemed non-urgent as he had left the home already.
She then phoned 101 under the call handler’s advice and was left on hold for eight minutes, the court was told.
An ambulance was scrambled but Daniela was tragically declared dead just before 1am on April 9, 2020.
A post mortem found she had suffered injuries to her forehead, cheek and jaw before her death.
Daniela also had bruising on her breast and right arm and there was no drugs or alcohol in her system, the inquest jury was told.
PC Miller, of Lincolnshire Police, told the court he had attended a domestic incident on May 19, 2019.
He completed a domestic assault, stalking and harassment form on behalf of Daniela and concluded she was “certainly not worried about any further offences”.
PC Miller ruled the risk to the mum was “standard” – meaning the likely risk of harm was low.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Jesus was charged with manslaughter and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.
The Crown Prosecution Service withdrew the manslaughter charge but he admitted both ABH charges.
Daniela’s stepdad Joaquim Manedo told how she was a “strong character” who “lived for her family” and “did everything for her children”.
He added: “I cannot describe how I felt when police told me Daniela had died.”
The inquest continues.
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