A mother and father will leave Bermuda for home today holding their precious baby daughter and grateful memories of the man who helped to save her life.

The seven-month-old girl was lying lifeless and unable to breathe when Sgt.

Paul Singh answered an emergency call to the couple's home.

"I was very emotional when the baby came round, but it was one of those things, what had to be done, had to be done,'' said Sgt. Singh yesterday.

The officer, who ten years ago helped to save another child's life, was on duty in his patrol car last Friday evening, when a call came through saying a baby had stopped breathing and needed emergency help.

Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, he got to the house in Southampton in just 90 seconds, arriving to see the baby's mother standing in the road, frantically waving her arms and shouting for help.

Police patrol cars carry resuscitator gear and Sgt. Singh grabbed the equipment and ran into the house where he saw the baby's father, a doctor, with the child.

"The father was on the ground with the baby, but it seemed lifeless at that point. He had tried to resuscitate the baby, but when I got there the baby was not moving at all,'' added Sgt. Singh.

"The father is a doctor, but when something like this happens even the best of people cannot always do something.'' Along with the father, the officer, who has served with the Police for 15 years, gave the baby oxygen and after a couple of minutes she started to move.

"It was really encouraging to see that and then she blinked a bit and I knew we had got her. It was a great feeling to see the baby come round, I was very emotional. When the baby opened her eyes it was such a relief,'' added Sgt.

Singh.

However, he stressed: "It was not just me who helped the baby, the father and I worked together.'' Ten years ago, Sgt. Singh was off duty when he saw a mother asking for help when her small child started choking on pieces of crackers. Sgt. Singh went across and tapped the child on the back to dislodge the pieces of cracker from its airways.

On Friday, after the baby regained consciousness, another Police officer arrived and directed the ambulance to the house. The baby was taken to hospital and released after treatment.

Sgt. Singh said neither he nor the father knew what had caused the baby to stop breathing although they believed she must have swallowed something that blocked her airways.

Today the couple, who were visiting the Island from Canada, are due to return home. They requested their names or the name of the baby not be released.

However, the father spoke to Police press officer Insp. Coggie Gibbons, who said: "The father wants me to thank the officer personally. He has extended his gratitude to Sgt. Singh.'' HERO -- Sgt. Paul Singh, who helped to save the life of a seven-month-old baby.