Asiah Kudi inquest: Grandmother 'haunted' by death after daughter left her for six days to party

The grandmother of a 20-month baby girl who was left alone to die for six days while the infant's mother celebrated her 18th birthday has told an inquest that the thought of her alone 'haunts her every day'.

Asiah Kudi, who was known as Nevaeh because it meant heaven, was abandoned at a property in Brighton, East Sussex in December 2019 as Verphy Kudi travelled to London and the Midlands to party.

When she returned home, she called 999 telling the operator ‘help, my baby is not waking up’ with Asiah being pronounced dead as she arrived at the city's Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital.

The family had been placed by in a one bedroom flat at a block of residential accommodation to support young women.

• Watch: ITV News Meridian reports on the sentencing of Verphy Kudi in August 2021

Speaking on day one of the inquest Asiah's grandmother Asia Batrane broke down as she paid tribute to her first grandchild, "I was very anxious when I found my daughter was pregnant she was very young. I was told by Sussex and the Metropolitan Police she was sexually trafficked as a teenager.

"I was worried about how got she got pregnant and whether she would be able to take care of her baby. I had many conversations with Verphy about the responsibilities of her having a baby. I told her it was a choice and I would support her either way.

"When she said she wanted to have a baby, I decided, in that moment, that whatever happens, even if she wasn’t able to take care of her baby because of her age, I would take care of the baby that was about to come into our lives.

"When Nevaeh was born my anxiety passed, there was six people in the room to welcome her into the world, this beautiful little baby, she was tiny.

"My grandmother instinct to protect her kicked in. She felt closer to me than a granddaughter and more like my own daughter.

"Nevaeh a peaceful baby, she only cried when she was hungry or if her nappy was dirty. She had the most beautiful dark brown eyes.

"Even if she was doing something naughty when I looked into her eyes I just gave in, it was impossible to be angry with her you felt yourself melting when she looked at you."

An investigation into the case by the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership concluded in November 2022 and found that none of the professionals involved could have predicted that Asiah’s mother would leave her 20-month-old daughter ill and alone.

Ms Batrane told the inquest she was not informed of her granddaughter being left alone by her mother on several occasions before her death.

She said: "They were supposed to contact me if they were worried about Verphy, nobody told me they needed help, no one communicated to me that Verphy was going out, no one told me Nevaeh was being left alone. I did not find Nevaeh was alone until the trial.

"The thought of Nevaeh alone haunts me still today. If I had known I would’ve picked her up."

A post-mortem examination and forensic tests found that Asiah's death was starvation, dehydration and flu with the overall cause given as 'neglect'. 

In August 2021, Kudi was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of her infant child.

Since Asiah's death, a system of daily checks has been introduced by social services at the accommodation where Verphy Kudi and her were placed and regular reviews now take place for young parents placed in supported accommodation.

Up to the age of 14 Verphy Kudi's mother described her as a ‘happy, caring girl who would light up the whole house’ but as she grew older 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.

The inquest is exploring the circumstances surrounding Asiah Kudi's death.

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