Baby safe as siege ends

The siege in Winchmore Hill ended without injury

An 18-hour stand-off between police and an armed man who shut himself in a room with an eight-month-old baby has ended.

One shot was fired, but no one was injured, as armed officers overpowered the 47-year-old German man in the garden of the house in Alders Close, Winchmore Hill, north London.

Police were called to the house by London Ambulance Service at about 3.30am after receiving reports of a woman having breathing difficulties.

A police spokeswoman said: "At 2120BST armed officers overpowered the man while he was in the back garden.

"During the arrest the suspect fired one shot but no one was injured. The man was arrested on suspicion of firearm and assault offences."

He was being held in Edmonton Police Station.

The baby girl was safe and well in an upstairs bedroom at the house and was taken for a check-up to North Middlesex Hospital.

She was expected to be reunited with her mother shortly afterwards.

Estranged husband

The man, said by police sources to be the father of the girl, was previously a resident of the house in a leafy suburban street and is estranged from the child's mother.

When police arrived at the scene, paramedics from London Ambulance Service were inside the house attending the baby's mother, who was having breathing difficulties.

The woman, who is 35, was later questioned at Edmonton Police Station with another two women, believed by police sources to be relatives, after all were released together with ambulance service staff from the house at about 0507BST.

Inspector Steve Pearce said the man had threatened to kill himself but had not threatened any harm to the baby.

He said: "It would appear that there had been a domestic incident involving the estranged husband of the woman with breathing difficulties.

"He didn't break in. He came to the premises to meet his estranged wife, but we don't know at what time.

"They had a disagreement but she hasn't been assaulted or injured in any way. Her breathing difficulties were because she was having a panic attack."

Negotiations were conducted by telephone and at one point the man had held the baby up at the window and she appeared to be well.

During the stand-off an undisclosed number of armed police were in place with a London Fire Brigade engine and two London Ambulance Service ambulances, also on standby.

The police have not identified the man, but they believe had recently flown from Germany.