A woman has been charged with the murder of a 10-month-old baby following a lengthy police investigation.

Karen Foster, 61, of Walden Grove, Burnley, is due to appear before Blackburn Magistrates’ Court this morning (July 5).

Police were called at around 1.20am on March 1, 2022, to an address in Hapton following reports a baby boy had suffered a medical episode.

Emergency services attended and the child, named Harlow Collinge, was taken to hospital for treatment, but he died on March 5.

His family continue to be supported by specially trained officers.

In March, a 60-year-old woman from Haslingden and a 78-year-old man from Burnley were arrested of suspicion of Section 18 assault and were subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder after further enquiries.

The 78-year-old man has now been released without charge but after consultation between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, the woman was yesterday (July 4) charged with the baby’s murder.

Foster is also charged with a separate Section 47 assault on a one-year-old girl in Hapton on March 22, 2019.

Foster is not related to either of the two victims and the two children are not related to each other.