Sarah Rose - Innocent: A murdered son. A grieving mother. The fight to clear her name.

Contents

For Nanny Iris and Kam Kam.

I miss you both every day.

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Epub ISBN: 9781473503571
Version 1.0

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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London SW1V 2SA

Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

Copyright Sarah Rose 2015

Sarah Rose has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

First published by Ebury Press in 2015

www.eburypublishing.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9780091960407

Ive replayed it over and over. There was nothing extraordinary about that morning. No little warning signs, no gentle heads-up that life as I knew it was about to be completely and utterly destroyed.

The alarm on my phone went off at 7.30am. Nicholas stirred next to me but didnt open his eyes. I reached out for my mobile and hit cancel.

Silence.

I climbed out of bed and went to the toilet. Thierry was at his dads, and I hadnt heard a peep out of Kamran all night but I knew he would be awake now. Sure enough, I opened his bedroom door and found him sat up in his cot. His face lit up and I smiled. He looked so cute in his big brothers SpongeBob SquarePants vest.

Morning! I whispered, lifting him up.

I admired him for a moment; the chubby cheeks, the thick black eyelashes any girl would kill for. I squeezed him tight and pressed my lips against his cheek.

Just as I always did, I carried Kam into the living room and plonked him on the sofa.

Do you want Milkshake on Kam Kam? I asked, pointing the remote at the TV and pressing Channel 5.

I left him watching telly while I made us both a drink strong tea for me and hot chocolate in a sippy cup for Kam. I put a good dash of cold water in it, checked the temperature with my little finger then screwed the lid on tightly. He bounced excitedly and reached out for it as I walked in and handed the cup to him. I took mine into the bedroom.

Morning, Nicholas said, rolling onto his back and yawning.

He got up and used the bathroom while I put on my black trousers and green Ladbrokes shirt. I slipped my feet into a pair of black ballet pumps and brushed my hair up into a pony. I grabbed my tea and walked through to the kitchen, where Nicholas was making Kams Weetabix.

I need to get going, I said, kissing him on the lips and picking up my bag. See you in a few hours.

Bye, Kam Kam! I shouted as I pulled my coat on. I was out the flat and down the first set of concrete stairs when I realised I hadnt picked up my keys and phone. I had time to dash back up. Nicholas heard me knocking and let me in.

Sorry, I said, grabbing my phone and keys off the side. Forgot these! See you later!

Nicholas rolled his eyes, smiled and pecked me on the lips again. As he disappeared back into the kitchen, I decided to stick my head round the living-room door. Kam was still on the sofa, holding his hot chocolate and watching TV, good as gold. My heart swelled and I smiled. He clocked me and smiled back.

Bye-bye! I said, waving.

He lifted his hand and waved back.

Bye-bye, Mommy!

I made it to the stop in time for my usual bus to Birminghams Pallasades shopping centre. I spent the journey reading messages on my phone and gazing out of the window. Getting to my job at the betting shop was so much easier now Nicholas was babysitting for me. When Mom looked after the boys, getting them up and over to hers on time was such a stress for us all. Now I only had to worry about myself. Nicholas had even offered to stay a bit later that day so I could meet my close friend Matthew after work. We had decided to go to the local college and put our names down for a course that September. I had to do something. I loved my job but I didnt want to work at Ladbrokes forever.

Already I was on my feet as the bus ground to a halt. The doors swung open and I jostled my way through the commuters. Ladbrokes was already open when I got there, and I walked down the stairs, across the shop floor and out into the staff area. I dumped my things in the cloakroom then sat down at my desk.

It was a fairly steady morning the usual nondescript kind of day. Around 11.30am, when there were no customers to be served, I told the manager, Charles, I was nipping out the back to use the loo. But, typical me, I couldnt walk past my bag without checking my phone first. And funnily enough, it was ringing.

It was Nicholas.

Hello? I answered.

He sounded like he was crying.

Sarah, the police are coming for you. You need to get to the hospital.

His voice sounded strange. It scared me.

What? Why ?

The phone reception went down. I frantically tried to call him back, my hands trembling. His phone was off. I thought for a moment then tried his moms landline. It rang twice then she answered. She was crying too.

Hello? Its Sarah. Nicholas just tried to call me. Is he with you? Is everything OK?

I could just about make out what she was saying, Im sorry, Im sorry

I was crying now. Something had happened, something bad.

Then she said it.

Kamrans dead.

I couldnt grieve for him. I couldnt speak to any of my family. It was like Id been found guilty before I could be proved innocent.

Losing a child is any mothers worst nightmare, but how do you grieve when youre being blamed for his death?

When Sarah Rose discovered her 15-month-old son Kamran had been brutally murdered, she was immediately put under arrest. The days she spent in jail were terrifying and harrowing, but it was when she heard the results of the post-mortem that the truth hit her: her boyfriend, Nicholas, the man shed loved and trusted, had beaten her little boy to death. Heartbroken, isolated and alone, she knew shed have to fight to prove her innocence and put Nicholas behind bars.

Tragic, moving, yet ultimately uplifting, this is story of a mothers love and her battle for the truth.

Sarah Rose is an active campaigner and fundraiser, raising money for her charity Sharing Kams Cuddles to help victims of child abuse. She lives in Birmingham with her husband Noel and her three children.

In the 1950s, an Irish labourer called Tommy Manifold caught a boat to England to seek out a better life for himself. What he found was Iris a hard-working English girl with a warm heart and a pretty face. Using his gift of the gab, Tommy charmed her into lending him her watch. He pawned it so he could afford to take her out then returned it to her when hed saved up enough to buy it back. This is the romantic story of how my grandparents fell in love.