An undercover detective has been hailed as an ‘angel’ after he went beyond the call of duty and helped deliver a newborn baby while working on a case.
Detective Garda Shane Elliffe was conducting a search of a property in Kilkenny City when he was confronted by panicked father-to-be Andrea Merli, whose wife Nadia was in the advanced stages of Labour.
Merli was running down the street from their home to hail a taxi to bring his “about to burst” wife to St Luke’s Hospital when he met the garda.
“There was a search taking place targeting criminal activity in the area when a man approached me,” the officer said.
“I went with the man to his home and met his wife who was on the stairs in their hall and in the process of giving birth,” recalled Detective Garda Elliffe.
Supt Derek Hughes outlined the incident to the Kilkenny People.
“Detective Elliffe went to the property and found a lady in distress on the stairs.
“The labour was well advanced and Detective Elliffe proceeded to help deliver the baby boy and keep him safe and warm until the paramedics arrived a short time later.
“The detective checked the airway and tied the umbilical cord while waiting for the emergency services to arrive,” the superintendent said.
Andrea, meanwhile, was both emotional and excited at the arrival of his son and full of praise for the detective garda.
“He was like an angel — I was a bit shocked and scared when I came back and Nadia was on the stairs and the baby was arriving,” the new dad said.
“The garda helped with the delivery and looked after the baby.
“He got on the phone with the doctor while we were waiting for the ambulance and kept everything calm.
“He came to visit us in hospital on Saturday and we have decided to call our son, Ryan Shane, after him.
“He deserves all the best — he is a great guy.”
Garda Elliffe with newborn Ryan and the rest of the Merli family. (Picture: Irish Examiner)Mother and son, meanwhile, are doing extremely well and returned home from the hospital on Monday evening.
The couple, who are originally from Rome, moved to Kilkenny in 2015 and have two other children Beatrice, aged 5 , and Alessio, 3.
