The county council has forked out more than £18,000 defending its right to keep an Italian woman’s baby after she had a forced caesarean.
The authority spent £11,632.00 on subsidising its own legal team in the case of Alessandra Pacchieri, £4,706.43 on family lawyers, £1,900 on court fees and £60.31 on courier fees. Essex social services has kept her daughter since the procedure in August 2012.
The figures come following a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Chronicle.