Surrey police have arrested a suspect wanted for assault, for reportedly giving three babies “skin-to-skin” contact in a hospital in B.C.
Police said that at 6:55 a.m. on Oct. 28, a woman went into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital, allegedly removed her shirt and held three infants, giving them skin-to-skin contact.
None of the infants were injured, police said, but hospital security removed the woman from the property.
Police were notified at 1 p.m. that day but have been unable to find the woman until Nov. 29. She is now being held for a bail hearing.
“Honestly, it’s a very traumatic incident for the parents of the children, obviously,” Sgt. Tige Pollock with the Surrey Police Service said.
Police said this is an assault file because “the application of force to any person without their consent is an assault. So the act of picking up the babies would, in effect, be an assault,” Pollock said.
“It’s a serious incident anytime vulnerable populations are targeted. It’s very disturbing for police and there’s nothing more vulnerable than a newborn child,” they added.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Surrey police.