Funeral director Amie Upton 'loved' dead babies and read them books in home

A funeral director accused of leaving a dead child in a baby bouncer watching cartoons says she "loved" the babies in her care and read them bedtime stories.

Amie Upton, 38, spoke to The Mirror, defending herself after a BBC investigation revealed she had been barred from mortuaries in Leeds.

But the mum insists the “babies were never left alone” at her home and “were loved” - even reading them the popular bedtime story ‘Guess How Much I love You’.

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The sweet book about 'the Little Nutbrown Hare' was first published more than 30 years ago and popularised ‘I love you to the moon and back’ - selling millions worldwide.

Amie spoke out after a BBC investigation accused her of leaving a mum ‘screaming’ after she found her dead child in a baby bouncer ‘watching cartoons’ in her living room with another dead baby on the sofa.

Another mum, whose stillborn child, was in Amie’s care at one stage and told the BBC: "It was just crazy. If I told somebody of this story... they'd think it was a horror film."

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust confirmed they had barred Amie, who runs Florrie’s Army, from its mortuaries and maternity wards, in spring this year after “serious concerns”.

Amie from Leeds told The Mirror how she no longer has babies at her home and went on to carry out baby funerals describing it as the “most special of days”.

She said: “Obviously most people are going to make a judgment aren't they because it's not something that you hear every day. The first ever baby that I ever brought home, the woman was like; ‘Oh my god she's amazing she really helped me’. She couldn't sing the praises enough and it was a word of mouth then."

When asked why families wanted their babies to stay at Amie's home, she said: “I know that here the babies were never left alone. I don't want to pull apart like mortuary services and I don’t want to pull apart the funeral industry…but I know that here, the babies, they were never left alone.

“When you work in the funeral industry, you're in the mortuary, you leave at a certain time, the baby's put in the fridge. There were nobody. I was here all the time and their babies knew nothing but love.”

She said in hospital “you don't find nurses reading the baby a story" adding: “We all got given (a book) in our memory boxes from the hospital. You get given a book called ‘Guess How Much I Love You’. Every baby loss family gets this book.

“And I always tell the parents, read it to them, that's why they give you it, to give you it to read to your baby. So read it to them, like you would normally. You're only going to have these moments with your baby you know. So revel in them, whatever you feel comfortable doing.

“But read them this storybook ... I would also read them that storybook, the same storybook. I've only ever done my best by these babies. They were never left alone, they were loved, you know “

And talking about claim her house was dirty, she said: “They were always clean and tidy, they weren't deteriorating and smelly as they've been said on other posts I've seen on facebook...

“On my top floor we had refrigeration units up there and we had cold cots as well which I still own. It's for the community….this cold cot is for them families that I've walked into houses before and babies have been sent home by the hospital and I've walked into one woman's home and she had her baby laid on ice packs because the hospital didn't have a cold cot to give her...

“Please tell me why you're giving them that information because that is the most ridiculous information I've ever heard in all of my life. Why would you think it's okay to give a mum her baby and tell her she can take that baby home without no proper refrigeration unit?”

She said the families who came to her "didn't want their babies to be in a funeral home setting. What they wanted was personal care. Somebody who had been through what they had been through. Someone that understood how they were feeling, because I do.

“I've still got families to this day waiting for their first bereavement support from the midwife. But the baby died four years ago. I've been doing that support for them I go and have a cup of tea with them and we'll have a chat. I've got lots of friends lots and lots of things that have been become friends through baby loss”

The BBC told how Zoe Ward's baby, Bleu, was three weeks old when he died of brain damage at Leeds General Infirmary in 2021. Ms Ward, 32, told the BBC how she'd asked Florrie's Army to arrange his funeral, after a recommendation from a family friend and Bleu's body was picked up from the hospital. She said she had thought he would be taken to a "professional setting".

But when she went round to visit the next day, Ms Ward was "terrified" to see Ms Upton "watching" cartoons with her son's body next to her in a baby bouncer in the living room.

"I realised it were Bleu and she (Ms Upton) says: 'Come in, we're watching PJ Masks’.” The cartoon is based on masked superheroes. The mum continued: "There's a cat scratcher in the corner and I can hear a dog barking and there was another (dead) baby on the sofa. It wasn't a nice sight.

But Amie said: “I've only ever had them two complaints in eight years out of all the families that I've helped and that also speaks volumes."

The funeral industry is unregulated in England and Wales. There are no legal requirements about how and where bodies should be stored, and no qualifications are needed to set up as a funeral director.

The government is yet to respond to a recommendation given by an inquiry in July, which said it should introduce statutory regulations in England.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed it had investigated two reports about Ms Upton's funeral service since 2021, but said after "extensive enquiries... no potential crimes were identified".

“Since 2021, we have received two reports alleging improper care provided by an infant funeral service in Harehills, Leeds,” the force said.

“Detectives made extensive enquiries into both reports, exploring multiple legislative and regulatory avenues, including liaison with partners, to establish whether there were any criminal matters to investigate. No potential crimes were identified.

“We recognise the concerns raised by these two families will have added to the distress they felt during an already incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts remain with them.”

Rabina Tindale, Chief Nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Over the past few years we have received several serious concerns about services provided by Amie Upton.

“Given these concerns, and the fact that some families have believed services are linked to or supported by the Trust, we must be clear that neither Amie Upton or Florrie’s Army is endorsed by, or associated with, Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

“...Actions were further strengthened this year, including Amie no longer being allowed to be present in our maternity services unless as a patient herself.

“Over the past few years, our concerns have been raised with the police, external safeguarding services and relevant regulators.”

If you have been affected by this story and would like some support, please know that Sands is here for anyone that has been touched by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.