Penny Roberts, paralysed after a horrific sky-diving accident, has given birth to a boy.

The 6lb baby, Peter, was born yesterday afternoon at Keighley's Airedale Hospital.

The birth, three weeks early, comes a week after she won a battle to keep the child. Miss Roberts, 35, feared Bradford Council's social services department would take the baby into care due to her disability.

But the Council agreed she should keep the baby, saying it would draw up a care plan giving her additional support.

Miss Roberts suffered multiple injuries in 1995 when her parachute failed to open properly at 14,000 ft, sending her crashing into a concrete runway. The fall shattered her body - injuries included a broken neck - and she 'died' four times before being stabilised.

Miss Roberts, a nurse, is paralysed from the waist down and has limited use of her arms. She needs 24 hour care and lives in a specially adapted terraced house in Steeton.

After a meeting with Miss Roberts and the child's father, Andrew Mitchell, 34, of Portsmouth, the Council said it had reached an agreement on the baby's future. Mr Mitchell, met Miss Roberts after reading a report about her. The couple have since split.

Last week, Mike Stow, Bradford Council's assistant social services director, said: "This has never been an issue of cost but a genuine desire to provide the best possible upbringing for the child.''

Miss Roberts declined to speak to the Telegraph & Argus after signing a contract with a national Sunday newspaper. Its spokesman said Miss Roberts was under exclusive contract to their newspaper.

The Telegraph & Argus does not, and will not, pay for stories.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.