Pregnant Malorie Bantala was pushed to ground and kicked in stomach
A mother has spoken of her horror at finding her heavily pregnant daughter moments after she was kicked so hard in the stomach by two helmet-wearing thugs that she lost her baby.
Malorie Bantala, 21, who was 32 weeks pregnant, was pushed to the ground by men who stamped on her ‘clearly visible’ stomach in an attack which was ‘tantamount to murder’, according to detectives.
She was taken to a south London hospital after the attack near her home in Peckham on Monday, but medics discovered there was no foetal heart beat and the baby had died.
Malorie is now fighting for her life in a ‘critical condition’ after suffering internal bleeding and she was transferred to an intensive care unit overnight.
Her mother Ida, 49, said she was upstairs in her flat when someone came screaming to her door shouting: ‘Malorie’s mum, Malorie’s mum, come quickly.’
She said: ‘I rushed down and there she was just lying on the pavement with the police.
‘She was just crying and crying.
‘If you see your daughter like that, it’s awful. Words can’t explain it.
‘Then an about an hour later maybe they took her to hospital and I went with her.
‘Malorie was so excited about having the baby and we were all pleased for her. I wanted to be a grandma. She was so happy and now she is sick in hospital.’
The suspects, both black men aged in their 20s, ran off in the direction of Denmark Road still wearing crash helmets after the attack near Malorie’s home in Talfourd Place.
Detectives said the attackers deliberately targeted the unborn child in an ‘unconscionable and shocking’ assault.
Police said the two men wore crash helmets and may have arrived on a moped or motorbike.
A 20-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and child destruction and remains in custody at this stage.
