A tragic story of a baby left for dead almost never came to light after a judge banned reporters from identifying him.

Judge David Paget, at the Old Bailey, made a Section 39 order under the Children and Young Person's Act 1933.

This prevented reporters covering the manslaughter trial of 18-year-old Manisha Ruttan from naming her dead son.

But after a challenge was made by the South London Press the judge was forced to lift the order, enabling reporter Robert Dex to fully tell the sad tale.

Robert told holdthefrontpage: "It was very frustrating because we knew the Section 39 had been made unlawfully and we also had this amazing exclusive story we could not publish. The order was only lifted when our lawyers, Foot Anstey, contacted the judge and asked him to withdraw it.

"I imagine he did it for what he thought was the best of reasons - to protect the mother - but it is worrying, to put it mildly, when a judge applies the law incorrectly.

"Fortunately, our challenge to the Section 39 was successful and we were able to scoop our opposition and report this astounding story for our readers."

The story started when Ruttan came to the UK from her native Mauritius while heavily pregnant.

Just a day after giving birth Ruttan abandoned the boy, named Harsh, on a rooftop in Streatham where he was discovered by neighbours wrapped in a plastic bag.

Despite paramedics' best efforts he died in hospital the same day.

She pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is facing sentence next month, likely to include deportation back to Mauritius.

Before she left the island, the baby's father Kishan Mohit had asked for permission to marry Ruttan from her father.

It was denied and Mohit firebombed Ruttan's father's car after a series of angry confrontations.

When Ruttan's father went to the police station to give a witness statement, he was stabbed to death in front of his son and several police officers by Mohit's brother.

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