Mother who lost premature twins after paramedics were blocked from getting inside tower block flat awakes from coma

Jocelyn Bennett's father said he had not yet told her about the death of her twins, but 'she keeps stroking her tummy'

Jocelyn Bennett has awoken from a 19-day coma

A woman who lost her premature twins after paramedics were blocked from getting inside her tower block has awoken from a 19-day coma.

Jocelyn Bennett, 27, was 32 weeks into her pregnancy when she started suffering severe pains and called emergency services from her Birmingham flat on October 29.

Ambulance crews tried to contact Ms Bennett through the intercom system at Pleck House, in Druids Heath, Birmingham, but had difficulties getting into the building. They then had to contact police at 6am.

The twin girls, Melody and Rose, were delivered in hospital by caesarean section. They died a week later at Birmingham's Women's Hospital from brain damage as a result of lack of oxygen.

Ms Bennett awoke from a coma on Sunday, it has now been reported.

Her father Joe Bennett told the BBC that he had not yet spoken to her about the death of her twins.

He said his daughter, who has a three-year-old son with her partner Kevin Clarke, was unable to speak and communicates with her family through pointing at letters.

He told the Birmingham Mail it was unlikely she would be able to go to the twins' funeral, although he hoped she would be able to have some input into the service.

He said: "But I personally think she has an intuition about what has happened - she keeps stroking her tummy. It's difficult to say how she will cope - only time will tell."

Mr Bennett told the BBC the family had a scare on Friday when his daughter's temperature rose and she started to shake.

He said: "We went to see her yesterday and she was lying there peacefully and we spoke to her and she opened her eyes."

He added: "The first thing she said was 'I love you'. Everybody started crying."

A Birmingham City Council spokesman told The Independent an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

The spokesman said: "All emergency services have procedures in place to gain access to tower blocks in an emergency.

"Initial findings show that this was followed."

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed crews received a call to the block of flats at 5.39am on Wednesday, October 29.

The spokesman said: "The first resource to arrive outside the building was a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle, at 5.51am. Two ambulance crews then arrived outside the premises at 5.58am and 6.01am respectively.

"Crews had difficulty getting into the building. They tried to contact other flats within the block; all with no answer. The control room contacted the patient’s parents and partner by telephone.

"The ambulance service requested the help of police at 6.03am. Police arrived at 6.10am and entry to the building was gained soon after."