THE mother of the first child to be diagnosed with a rare strain of E.coli has told of her “nightmare”.

Little Freddy Osborne was just 21 months old when he was taken ill in July.

He was in Southampton General Hospital for a month, two weeks of which he spent in paediatric intensive care. He was also put into a coma for five days because he was so poorly.

He is now at home with mother Charlotte Fudge at Duck Lane, Bournemouth, but is suffering from night terrors and nightmares and will need regular monitoring.

Charlotte said: “I can’t even explain how horrendous the whole thing has been, I don’t even like to think about it.

“It was just an awful time. We have been trying to put it behind us and now hearing about all the other cases has brought it up again.

“Freddy is okay in himself now but he’s very clingy and has nightmares, which he never used to have. They think his kidneys are functioning at about 60 per cent but we won’t know for sure until his next check.”

Freddy had eaten at the same restaurant as Isaac Mortlock and Jessica Archer but was given a clean bill of health by Public Health England.

Charlotte said: “They told me my case was closed because they couldn’t find the source. I’m not very happy and I just want to warn other parents what to look out for.”