Funeral director who 'left dead child in baby bouncer watching cartoons' speaks out

A funeral director accused of leaving a dead child in a baby bouncer ‘watching cartoons’ says her “heart is broken” by the complaints against her and was just "trying to help".

A BBC investigation accused Amie Upton, 38, of leaving a mum ‘screaming’ and "terrified" after seeing her dead child sat in a baby bouncer. She told of being "terrified" after finding Ms Upton "watching" cartoons with her son's body next to her in a baby bouncer in the living room.

It was claimed there was another dead baby nearby on the sofa. Another mum, whose stillborn child, was in Amie’s care at one stage and was ‘really smelly’, told the BBC: "It was just crazy. If I told somebody of this story... they'd think it was a horror film."

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Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust confirmed they had barred Amie, who runs Florrie’s Army, from its mortuaries and maternity wards, in spring this year after "several serious concerns". Talking to The Mirror, Amie, from Leeds, dismissed claims against her as “ridiculous” explaining how she began helping grieving mums after losing her own child following a violent attack.

But Amie broke down in tears and told The Mirror: “I just wanted to help them. ”I've had the police in my home several times and the fraud squad going through bank accounts and books. I've had the CID do welfare checks and investigations and have found no wrongdoing.”

She said she started out having children at the home following her own tragedy in 2017. Amy says she was left in a coma after her abusive ex-partner repeatedly rammed a child’s buggy into her, causing her tummy to crash against an open freezer door.

Mum-of-two Amie was 17 weeks and three days pregnant with Florrie at the time and the attack ruptured her amniotic sac - 12 weeks later Florrie was stillborn. The baby's father Shaun Birchall, 28, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH). Amie has said she was sure the attack caused the death of Florrie too.

“When I lost Florence, I nearly died. I was in a coma after I lost her because I started bleeding from everywhere. He made a mess of us,” she said. “He pushed the waters. She didn't pass away straight away, which we were expecting her to. She lived in a womb for 12 weeks. But I nearly bled to death on the operating table, so I was in a coma”

She says it took four years for her attacker to be sentenced because of covid and the legal process, so she started making funeral gowns out of wedding gowns “and it healed me”. She added: “When I think of Florence now it makes me smile as I have done good in her name. I am not depressed like they're making out. “

She said a year after the attack from 2018 and 2019, she started looking after babies in her home but no longer does that. “Since then everything else has been within the funeral sector, so I've not actually looked after babies in my home for four years,” she said.

Reacting to claims against her, Amie told The Mirror: “I understand, it’s not something you hear every day. The first ever baby I brought home, (the family) could not sing my praises enough. I don’t want to pull apart mortuaries or the funeral industry but I know here the babies were never left alone. I was always here.

“They were always clean and tidy and were not deteriorating or smelly as claimed on posts I’ve seen today…We had refrigerating units up there and cold cots. The babies here were not put in a fridge when staff go home but I was here all the time.

"Their babies knew nothing but love. You don’t find nurses reading their babies a story. I would. I know I only ever did my best. It is ridiculous. .”

About claims one baby was left in a bouncer, she said: “I had a laid-down chair that I used to transfer them into while I changed the bedding. It wasn't a bouncer....Her baby was laid in a laid back chair that we had that we used to transfer babies from the beds..”

The BBC told how Zoe Ward's baby, Bleu, was three weeks old when he died of brain damage at Leeds General Infirmary in 2021. Ms Ward, 32, told the BBC how she'd asked Florrie's Army to arrange his funeral, after a recommendation from a family friend and Bleu's body was picked up from the hospital. She said she had thought he would be taken to a "professional setting".

But when she went round to visit the next day, Ms Ward was "terrified" to see Ms Upton "watching" cartoons with her son's body next to her in a baby bouncer in the living room. "I realised it were Bleu and she (Ms Upton) says: 'Come in, we're watching PJ Masks’.” The cartoon is based on masked superheroes.

The mum continued: "There's a cat scratcher in the corner and I can hear a dog barking and there was another (dead) baby on the sofa. It wasn't a nice sight." But Amie said: “I've only ever had them two complaints in eight years out of all the families that I've helped and that also speaks volumes.

“Following on from that I have carried out lots of baby and adult funerals and all your loved ones have had the most special of days. People praise my work every single day and people have come to me knowing how much time, effort and love I've put into my funeral services. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. They didn't want their babies in a funeral home setting; they wanted personal care by someone who has been through what they've been through.”

The funeral industry is unregulated in England and Wales. There are no legal requirements about how and where bodies should be stored, and no qualifications are needed to set up as a funeral director. The government is yet to respond to a recommendation given by an inquiry in July, which said it should introduce statutory regulations in England.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed it had investigated two reports about Ms Upton's funeral service since 2021, but said after "extensive enquiries... no potential crimes were identified". “Since 2021, we have received two reports alleging improper care provided by an infant funeral service in Harehills, Leeds,” the force said.

“Detectives made extensive enquiries into both reports, exploring multiple legislative and regulatory avenues, including liaison with partners, to establish whether there were any criminal matters to investigate. No potential crimes were identified. We recognise the concerns raised by these two families will have added to the distress they felt during an already incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts remain with them.”

Rabina Tindale, Chief Nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Over the past few years we have received several serious concerns about services provided by Amie Upton. Given these concerns, and the fact that some families have believed services are linked to or supported by the Trust, we must be clear that neither Amie Upton or Florrie’s Army is endorsed by, or associated with, Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

“When we first became aware of concerns, we implemented extra steps in our mortuary services on top of our already robust measures. Since 2021 we have had specific safeguarding measures in place, including monitoring Amie’s attendance when visiting deceased patients at the mortuary in her funeral service role. Any visitors to the mortuary are always accompanied by mortuary staff.

“Any handover of a body is undertaken in line with Trust policies and procedures and takes place to an authorised funeral director. Actions were further strengthened this year, including Amie no longer being allowed to be present in our Maternity services unless as a patient herself.

“Over the past few years, our concerns have been raised with the police, external safeguarding services and relevant regulators. We support bereaved families during their most difficult times through tailored, compassionate and regulated services. We have dedicated staff, including bereavement midwives and nurses, who provide personalised support for bereaved mothers and their families. They always respect each family’s individual needs and wishes.”