Mother sobs as prosecutor urges jury to convict her over Drumchapel death

A mother accused of murdering her 14-month-old daughter sobbed in the dock and shook her head as a prosecutor urged a jury to convict her.

28-year-old Sadia Ahmed denies murdering Inaya Ahmed by smothering her with a pillow at the family home on Bernisdale Drive in Drumchapel.

The child was rushed to hospital following the incident on April 17 last year, but she three died days later.

In his closing speech to the jury at the High Court in Glasgow, prosecutor Paul Kearney said: “On that morning Inaya, a beautiful 14-month-old baby stopped breathing and never breathed again on her own.”

Jurors have been told that following a 999 call Inaya was rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. She died there on April 20 after her life support machine was switched off.

Mr Kearney added: “The effect of a lack of blood and oxygen to her brain caused irreversible brain damage which led to her death.”

The prosecutor told the jury that they had to decide if Inaya's mother Ahmed killed her or if the toddler choked to death of a piece of toasted bread.

He added: “The question for you is why or what stopped Inaya's breathing and stopped her heart and killed her.

“It is clear her mother Sadia is solely responsible for this. The Crown contends that she calmly snuffed out the life of her child.

“The Crown contends that she suffocated Inaya. It was a murderous death rather than an accidental one.”

Mr Kearney told the jurors it was a circumstantial case, but, said if they examine the facts “it becomes clear that Inaya did not choke on bread, but was suffocated and killed at the hands of her mother.”

Her told the jury that an experienced police officer had searched the house and no trace of toasted bread – not even a crumb – was found.

Mr Kearney also pointed to the fact that medical staff who tended to Inaya found no sign of any obstruction in her throat.

The jury had heard from members of the Ahmed family – including the murder accused's husband Suleman – who claim she confessed to them that she had killed Inaya.

The prosecutor said: “We struggle to understand what would make a person do something like this.

“The accused suffered from low moods and bouts of anger. There is evidence that she did not want a girl and was upset when she found out her sister-in-law was going to have a boy.

“Her husband Suleman said in evidence that she told him Inaya had become a burden.”

Mr Kearney said that Ahmed's allegation that the whole family were lying in an elaborate cover-up to falsely frame her for murder was not true.

He asked why the family would falsely accuse Ahmed of murdering her daughter and said it would be “a most wicked conspiracy.”

Mr Kearney added: “Why would the family dishonour and sully the memory of their beloved and daughter, granddaughter and niece by branding her falsely a murder victim.”

In his closing speech to the jury defence QC Iain Duguid urged the jury to acquit Sadia Ahmed based on the evidence they have heard.

Mr Duguid said: “The prosecutor is saying that Sadia Ahmed is lying, but it is the other members of her family who are lying.

“You can only convict her if you have credible and reliable evidence. She has nothing to prove.

“Please don't think this comes down to was Inaya suffocated or did she choke.

“The issue is have the prosecution proved that she suffocated.''

Mr Duguid said that cases of children choking to death were extremely rare but do happen.

Referring to his instructing solicitor Aamer Anwer he said that you would have thought it highly unlikely statistically he would have been on Las Ramblas in Barcelona at the time a terrorist drove a truck down it killing innocent people and added: “But it happened. You saw him on your television screeens in August this year.”

The QC told the jury: “Don't guess or speculate or try to fill in the blanks when you come to deliberate.”

He asked why Ahmed who had been at a family party with her daughter the previous evening should decide to kill the child.

Mr Duguid said: “There is no explanation why she would do what the prosecution say she did.”

The jury has heard that the airway of a 14-month-old child has a diameter of 0.05cms and that food debris was found at the bottom of Inaya's lung.

Mr Duguid continued: “The prosecutor said in his speeech that there was nothing in her airways, but there was food debris in her lung.”

The trial continues

The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.