Mother jailed after baby daughter left to starve to death while she partied
Tap to watch a video report by ITV News Meridian's James Dunham
A teenage mother who left her 20-month old baby girl to starve to death as she partied has been jailed.
Verphy Kudi was sentenced to nine years in prison at Lewes Crown Court on Friday (6 August) having previously admitting the manslaughter of her infant daughter Asiah in Brighton in December 2019.
In the six days up to the baby girl's death, Kudi had been partying in London and the West Midlands to celebrate her 18th birthday.
Watch: Footage shows Kudi leaving the flat, attending a party in London, and then returning after six days
When she returned home she called 999 telling the operator ‘help, my baby is not waking up’ after finding Asiah unresponsive and despite the efforts of paramedics, the baby died as she arrived at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in the city.
A post-mortem examination and forensic tests found that Asiah's death was starvation, dehydration and flu with the overall cause given as 'neglect'.
Baby Asiah was left alone for six days before her death
December 5th: Kudi was seen on CCTV leaving the flat where she was housed by social services
December 5th - 9th: Celebrates her 18th birthday at parties and festivals in London
December 9th - 10th: Driven more than 150 miles away to Coventry and Solihull where she celebrates friends birthdays. Bank card is used at a McDonalds and pizza restaurant
December 11th: Kudi eventually returns to Brighton. Three hours after arriving back at her flat, Baby Asiah is unresponsive and Kudi calls 999. In a desperate call she tells the operator, 'help my baby is not waking up'
Watch: Verphy Kudi arrives at court
Kudi, who is now 19, was housed in a residential block in Brighton for vulnerable families, in September 2019 by social services after the relationship with her mother broke down.
Up to the age of 14 her mother described her as a ‘happy, caring girl who would light up the whole house’ but as she grew older, her mother said she ‘shut down mentally, would not communicate and became angry’.
As a teenager she would be absent from school and was often reported missing by The Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police.
Kudi was placed in foster care for a period of time.
The mother had previously left her daughter alone on several occasions, including in the two months up to her death in mid-October.
Asiah was made the subject of a child protection plan when she was born but this was later removed.
In March this year Kudi pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
An investigation into the case was launched by Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership to look at the circumstances surrounding Asiah's death.
Kudi will serve two thirds of her sentence in prison, before being released on license in the community.
Senior Investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, said: "This was a particularly distressing case for my team and me to investigate, and has caused great sorrow amongst Verphy's family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah.
"In pleading guilty, Ms Kudi accepted the terrible judgements she made in leaving her child alone and unprotected for such a protracted period, and accepts the lies she told to friends, family and professionals to cover up her neglect of her daughter and in order to avoid being caught."
Sentencing Kudi, Judge Christine Laing QC said: "Asiah was alone in that flat for six days - less two hours - unable to do anything to draw attention to her plight.
"She was a helpless child and relied completely on you as her mother to provide for her needs.
"It is almost unbearable to contemplate her suffering in the final days of her life, suffering that she endured so that you could celebrate your birthday and the birthdays of your friends as a carefree teenager.
"It goes without saying that this is a particularly tragic case and it no doubt raises strong emotions in all who hear of it, but everyone should bear in mind that the charge I sentence you for is one of manslaughter, it being accepted that you did not intend to cause Asiah death nor to cause her really serious harm."
The Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership (BHSCP) is carrying out a Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) of this case, which they aim to publish later this year.
A spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Asiah.
“In our safeguarding role, we are currently working with our partners to look into what happened and are conducting a Child Safeguarding Practice Review.
“We aim to publish the review report in the autumn.”
YMCA DownsLink Group said,
"The conclusion of the court hearing and sentencing of Verphy Kudi for the death of her daughter, Asiah, brings an element of closure to this tragic event. Verphy Kudi’s actions shocked us all.
"Verphy Kudi misled staff into believing Asiah was with her whilst she was away celebrating her 18th birthday. Tragically, neither our staff, nor other residents, heard anything to alert them to the fact that Asiah had been left in the flat alone and this continues to impact them deeply. In court it was stated that it is unlikely that Asiah would have called out due to a combination of learnt behaviour, and, her underlying influenza.
"Today, our thoughts and sympathies lie with Asiah, her wider family, and everyone affected by this awful event.
"We are working with the other agencies involved in the ongoing Child Safeguarding Practice Review to fully understand the circumstances that led to this tragic incident. We will not be making any further comment until we have the outcome of that review."