Woman left in phone box as a baby is reunited with the man who found her
Kiran outside the phone box in Forest Gate, where she was found. Credit: SWNS
A woman abandoned in a phone box as a baby has been reunited with the man who found her. Kiran Sheikh was just two hours old when her mother dumped her in the middle of the night on April 30, 1994.
Her rescuer Joe Campbell said at first he thought the baby – who he named April – was an empty chip wrapper as he approached the phone box. He told Good Morning Britain:
“When I saw it was a little baby I called 999 and the police came and the ambulance came and that’s when I found out she was just about two hours old.”
Joe said he felt an “instant connection” with the baby and even asked if he could adopt her, but was told it wasn’t possible as he wasn’t married at the time.
“I asked if I could keep in contact, I was told no, that’s not possible. I asked if I could find out how she was doing, and I was told no, that’s not possible.”
In the end Joe had to cut all contact with Kiran but said he never gave up hope of finding her one day. Kiran went searching for him after discovering who he was in her adoption file.
“He had done so much for me. It said in my file he gave me presents, he sent me cards and I never received anything, but he did. I needed to thank him somehow,” she said. And it wasn’t long before they were reunited.
Joe said: “It was one of the happiest days of my life because I never stopped looking for her. I was always hopeful that someday, somehow I would find her before I finally part this world.”
After the emotional reunion, the pair said it was like finding a family member.
“She is my family. I told her you’ve got siblings. Ok, we’re not blood related but it’s like we are,” Joe said.
For the full story with images – go to the ITV News website.