The parents of tragic Huddersfield student Jane Khalaf have had a new baby.
And Rojin and Khalil Khalaf, of Shelley, have named her Ava Jane in memory of her older sister.
Ava Jane, now four months, was born at exactly the same time of day that Jane’s life support machine was switched off at a hospital in Cologne, Germany, in 2014.
Former Shelley College student Jane, 19, was at university studying politics in Cologne when she collapsed and died.
It was later found she had ecstasy in her system and an official report found she died of a “massive” brain swelling, though what caused it remains a mystery.
News of the family’s happiness comes as they continue their fight for answers.
The report questioned why the hospital failed to take a blood sample as soon as Jane arrived and her parents now want the hospital authority to admit responsibility over her death.
Baby Ava Jane was born at Calderdale Royal Hospital at Halifax and dad Khalil said: “She is wonderful and we are very happy.
“By complete chance, she was born at the same time that Jane’s life support was switched off, which was 1.17am.
“We wanted her middle name to be Jane in honour of her.
“She looks like a copy of her at the moment and is doing really well.”
In between caring for Ava and running their Med One restaurant on Westgate, Huddersfield, the couple are focusing on getting St Marien Hospital to admit clinical negligence.
An inquest held in Bradford in July found that Jane could have been saved had she received different treatment. So far the hospital has denied any responsibility.
Jane collapsed and fell into a coma and died eight days later on November 20, 2014.
It remains unclear as to how the ecstasy got into her system.
Mum Rojin, 42, said: “After the inquest, our solicitor sent the report to St Marien and asked them to admit negligence.
“They initially said they wouldn’t consider it. However, we appealed that so we are now awaiting a decision.
“It’s something that could take several months.
“We get the impression that they are too proud to admit that their staff did anything wrong. If they accept negligence it would help us.”
Rojin would also like to see criminal charges brought against the person they believe must have given Jane the drug.
“But we know that’s not going to happen,” she said. “By now all the evidence will have been lost.”
