London - A judge in Gloucester has rejected the appeal of a pregnant 17-year-old not to give birth in prison, saying it would be a "real punishment" for the baby to be taken away by relatives or the social services after it was born in November, writes Rachel Donnelly.
The woman, who cannot be named, was appealing against a five-month sentence for shoplifting at Gloucester Crown Court. The prison service said last night that the girl was entitled to apply for a transfer to a prison with a mother-and-baby unit where she would be al lowed to care for the child.