Pregnant Penny Roberts, paralysed in a 14,000 foot skydiving accident, is celebrating victory today in her battle to win the right to keep her baby.

Bradford Council social services chiefs have thrashed out an agreement between Miss Roberts and the father of her child, 34-year-old Andrew Mitch-ell of Portsmouth, who left her when she was 11 weeks pregnant.

Miss Roberts, who is due to give birth in about four weeks, feared her baby would be taken into care because of her disability. She is paralysed from the waist down, has limited use of her arms and needs 24 hour care.

Mike Stow, Bradford council's assistant social services director, said: "Following a meeting yesterday, attended by Miss Roberts and the child's father, a care plan will be developed which will allow her to fulfil her wish to bring up her child.

"This has never been an issue of cost but a genuine desire to provide the best possible upbringing for the child.''

He said 35 year-old Miss Roberts would receive additional support to assist with many of the physical tasks of caring for her baby. The detailed arrangements would be worked out before she left hospital. Mr Stow added that social services had carried out a thorough assessment of the various options for the care of the baby, which included an evaluation by a consultant child psychiatrist at St George's Hospital in London, as well as health professionals and social workers.

Miss Roberts, a nurse by profession, suffered multiple injuries three years ago when her parachute failed to open properly and she crashed into a concrete runway in America.

The fall broke her neck and injured her spine - and she 'died' four times before she was stabilised by medics.

She lives in a specially adapted terraced house in Steeton, where she gets 24-hour care.

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