Woman sues 'after being forced to give birth alone in her prison cell'

A woman is suing the city of Denver after nurses allegedly ignored her pleas for help before she gave birth alone in her prison cell.

Diana Sanchez claims that she was forced to deliver her baby last year on a "cold hard bench, feet away from a toilet" even though the county jail staff knew she had been in labour for five hours.

Clips of silent surveillance footage released by her lawyers show Ms Sanchez eventually lying down on a narrow bench and crying out in pain before delivering her baby son on July 31, 2018.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, names the city and county of Denver, the Denver Health Medical Center and six other individuals as defendants.

It alleges that the staff's "outrageous conduct" violated Ms Sanchez and her baby's constitutional rights.

Meanwhile the Denver Sheriff's Department told the BBC that it conducted a review and found staff had acted appropriately.

Ms Sanchez said in her complaint that she notified health personnel that she was more than eight months pregnant at the time of her booking on July 14.

The lawsuit states that when she went into labour two weeks later, she told deputies "at least eight times that morning, informing them each time that she was experiencing contractions".

Jail officials "cruelly chose convenience over compassion" by not calling for an ambulance after her water broke and she was bleeding, it added.

A van was requested to take Ms Sanchez to the hospital, despite prison workers knowing it would unlikely be available for hours until the morning booking process was finished, according to the lawsuit.

"What should have been one of the happiest days of her life was instead a day of unnecessary terror, pain, and humiliation that continues to cause her on-going emotional trauma," the complaint states.

A spokeswoman for the Denver Sheriff's Department told the BBC that the Denver Health Medical provides "comprehensive medical care at both of our jails".

"We empathise with anyone who is in jail while pregnant, including Ms Sanchez," the statement said.

"Ms Sanchez was in the medical unit and under the care of Denver health medical professionals at the time she gave birth.

"To make sure nothing like this happens again, the Denver Sheriff Department has changed its policies to ensure that pregnant inmates who are in any stage of labour are now transported immediately to the hospital."