THE husband of Mayra Cabrera, who died when a powerful anaesthetic was injected into her arm instead of her spine, has demanded justice over his wife's death.

Arnel Cabrera is facing deportation because his visa was dependent on his wife working.

He is currently fighting the Home Office to be allowed to stay in England and raise his son Zac.

The 38-year-old could not attend the inquest into Mayra's death yesterday because he said reliving her last moments would be too painful.

Instead, in a statement read out at Trowbridge Coroner's Court, he demanded justice over the hospital blunder that snatched her away so cruelly.

Mayra, 30, died at the Great Western Hospital on May 11, 2004 after an epidural anaesthetic was wrongly injected into her arm during childbirth rather than into her spine.

She had been working as a theatre nurse at the hospital, where she died just an hour after giving birth to baby Zac.

Swindon & Marlborough NHS Trust has admitted liability for her being administered Bupivacaine intravenously.

Mr Cabrera said he was angry he had been lied to for so long - being allowed to believe Mayra had died of natural causes.

He said: "The person who gave Mayra that drug robbed me of my family.

"I want to know how it happened, I can't forget. I need to know whether the action was intentional or unintentional. How can anyone make this kind of error and not be made to answer for it."

The couple came to the UK to start a new life in 2002, settling into a house in Liden.

And their happiness was complete when they discovered they were expecting their first child.

The couple arrived at the hospital just after 4am on May 11.

At 8.14am, 8lb Zac was delivered by forceps. Just 45 minutes later Mayra complained of feeling dizzy. She was then violently sick.

Mr Cabrera said: "I took Zac in my arms and cradled him walking around the delivery suite. All my attention was focused on him.

"I sat down and Mayra was talking and seemed well after giving birth. She did not complain of being ill."

But just one hour later Mayra suffered a horrific seizure.

After 90 minutes attempting to resuscitate her doctors certified her dead at 10.27am.

Mr Cabrera was told immediately afterwards that she had died from an amniotic fluid embolism, the inquest heard.

But he claims to have learned later that she had died because the Bupivacaine had been administered incorrectly.

The drug had been given to Mayra intravenously into her right hand.

Post mortem tests found the cause of death to be Bupivacaine toxicity, the coroner said.

Mayra's devastated widower said he felt let down by the hospital staff he had put such faith in.