A young mother has been jailed for nine years for shaking her three-month-old daughter to de@th in the UK.
According to Sky News, Nazli Merthoca, 24, gave birth to Kaylani Kalanzi prematurely, and the newborn had to spend 29 days in hospital before she was allowed home on 13 May 2024.
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told jurors that Merthoca was in a “mutually abusive relationship” with the child’s father, Herbert Kalanzi.
The infant was on social services’ radar before she was even born, and had been placed on a child protection plan, the Old Bailey was told. Before they could take custody of the child, the parents had to demonstrate they were fit parents, with Mr Kalanzi agreeing to attend a fatherhood programme.
But Ms Johnson said social services’ strategy was “doomed to fail” and the “ever-present risk” to Kaylani became a “fatal reality” on 8 July 2024.
The couple called emergency services shortly before 10.30pm, saying Kaylani had stopped breathing, and requesting help at Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton, east London, where they were staying at the time.
When paramedics arrived, Merthoca failed to inform them that Kaylani had been violently shaken, causing bleeding to the brain, damage to her eyes, and fractures to her tibia and ribs, the court was told.
Admitted with catastrophic brain injuries, as well as a broken leg and ribs, Kaylani d!ed in the hospital 15 days later.
Merthoca became upset at being questioned about what happened, and claimed she was being blamed because of her “race and gender”, according to staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Ms Johnson said Merthoca had “lost her temper with the baby after an accumulation of factors” and also “challenged” social workers instead of accepting their help.
Benjamin Aina KC, defending, told the court that his client had faced “a number of significant challenges” in her life.
These included suffering physical abuse as a child and entering the care system when she was 12, where she started being “groomed by older men” and relying on cannabis and alcohol.
He also told of her “grief” over Kaylani.
A young mother has been jailed for nine years for shaking her three-month-old daughter to de@th in the UK.
According to Sky News, Nazli Merthoca, 24, gave birth to Kaylani Kalanzi prematurely, and the newborn had to spend 29 days in hospital before she was allowed home on 13 May 2024.
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told jurors that Merthoca was in a “mutually abusive relationship” with the child’s father, Herbert Kalanzi.
The infant was on social services’ radar before she was even born, and had been placed on a child protection plan, the Old Bailey was told. Before they could take custody of the child, the parents had to demonstrate they were fit parents, with Mr Kalanzi agreeing to attend a fatherhood programme.
But Ms Johnson said social services’ strategy was “doomed to fail” and the “ever-present risk” to Kaylani became a “fatal reality” on 8 July 2024.
The couple called emergency services shortly before 10.30pm, saying Kaylani had stopped breathing, and requesting help at Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton, east London, where they were staying at the time.
When paramedics arrived, Merthoca failed to inform them that Kaylani had been violently shaken, causing bleeding to the brain, damage to her eyes, and fractures to her tibia and ribs, the court was told.
Admitted with catastrophic brain injuries, as well as a broken leg and ribs, Kaylani d!ed in the hospital 15 days later.
Merthoca became upset at being questioned about what happened, and claimed she was being blamed because of her “race and gender”, according to staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Ms Johnson said Merthoca had “lost her temper with the baby after an accumulation of factors” and also “challenged” social workers instead of accepting their help.
Benjamin Aina KC, defending, told the court that his client had faced “a number of significant challenges” in her life.
These included suffering physical abuse as a child and entering the care system when she was 12, where she started being “groomed by older men” and relying on cannabis and alcohol.
He also told of her “grief” over Kaylani.
