When Keisha Williams discovered she was pregnant 20 years ago, she was filled with joy. Already a mother of three girls, she prayed for a son — and, she said, her prayer was answered in an almost prophetic moment when a pastor placed a hand on her belly and told her she was carrying a boy.

He even suggested the name Daniel.

Born on Christmas Day, Daniel Peart became her Yuletide blessing, a child she described as the centre of attention in the family and the pride of those around him.