Funeral director Amie Upton hits back at fury she 'left dead baby watching cartoons'

A funeral director accused of leaving a dead child in a baby bouncer "watching cartoons" says she has "given families everything" during their grieving process.

A BBC investigation accused Amie Upton, 38, of leaving a mum "screaming" and "terrified" after seeing her dead child sat in a baby bouncer. It then emerged she has been banned from NHS maternity wards and mortuaries in Leeds.

But Ms Upton runs Florrie’s Army, a not-for-profit organisation devoted to helping others who have lost "angel babies" with the offer of free handprints, photographs, baby clothing and a burial or cremation service. Two customers this week came forward with complaints about her practice, claims Ms Upton has branded"ridiculous". Her own baby, Florrie-Mae, was stillborn at 29 weeks after Ms Upton was assaulted by her partner.

Speaking from her home in Harehills, Leeds, Ms Upton, said she has helped many grieving families and the furore is unwarranted. She said: "I have provided so many families with love and care. I've given them everything, literally everything, and it's only these two who have complained."

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The defiant mum today told the Daily Mail: "I'm not saying it's for everyone, but these tiny babies need a lot of extra care and love." Ms Upton's fresh rebuke comes after Zoe Ward and Cody Townend came forward with allegations, stretching back to 2021.

Hitting out at these, though, Ms Upton said she brings the bodies of dead children home to "rest" in her sitting room, where she talks, sings and reads to them.

Speaking to the Mirror earlier this week, she had said: "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.

"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."

Fighting back the tears, the mum recalled how Florrie'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.

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" her, something which led to the creation of Florrie’s Army.

West Yorkshire Police says it has investigated two complaints about her funeral service since 2021, but that no potential crimes have been identified.