Electronic tag stopped dad-to-be being with miscarrying partner

Damien Wilkinson, of Cowdray Avenue, Colchester, was looking forward to becoming a dad for the first time after partner Charlotte Richards became pregnant.

Twelve weeks into the pregnancy, Charlotte, 20, became unwell at home and the worried couple rang the hospital for advice.

Miss Richards recalled: “The hospital told me to go straight to A&E and, because it was at night, my partner rang the tag company to tell them the situation.

“The tag people told him he could take me, but he had to check in with the security so they could check he was actually there.”

Mr Wilkinson agreed and the couple went to the hospital.

Miss Richards’s condition improved and the young mum, who already has a child, was sent home to rest. Mr Wilkinson rang the tag company to say he was home again.

The following evening, at about 10pm, the problem became worse and panicking Miss Richards called her midwife.

“She told me to get straight to the hospital,” she recalled.

“But when Damien rang the tag people again, they told him because he’d had one unexplained absence he couldn’t have any more.

“I had to get my friend’s mum to drive me to hospital. At a time like that you want the people you love with you.”

Mr Wilkinson, 27, added: “I was left at home, in tears. This would have been my first child, which made it worse.

“I asked them what the difference was between this time and last, and said they could phone security again, but they said no.

“I asked what they’d do if I just went, and they said the police would be round straight away to arrest me.”

Damien was on a tag and associated curfew as punishment for possession of less than one-eighth of a gram of amphetamines.

In a statement, the tag company, Serco, said: “We have a responsibility to report any breach of curfew.

“Our staff are trained to provide the appropriate advice to people we monitor but we cannot comment on individual cases.”