Nadia Zofia Kalinowska murder trial told how parents 'tortured and abused' girl

A jury has been told that a "beautiful and innocent" five-year-old girl was tortured and killed in the County Antrim home where she should have felt safe and secure.

Nadia Zwsofia Kalinoka was pronounced dead by medics at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in the early hours of December 15, 2019.

Her mother Aleksandra Wahab (28) and her 34-year step-father Abdul Wahab have both been charged with murdering her in the family home at Fernagh Drive in Newtownabbey.

The couple are also suspected of carrying out a campaign of abuse against the girl in the months leading up to her death, and face multiple charges of child cruelty and causing Nadia grievous bodily with intent.

They have denied all 14 charges.

As he opened the prosecution's case to the jury of seven men and five women at Belfast Crown Court, Liam McCollum KC outlined a catalogue of injuries noted by medics who tended to the youngster - many of which are believed to have been sustained prior to her death.

As well as sustaining a skull fracture and lacerated liver which caused her death, Nadia had also suffered fractures and re-fractures to her ribs, a fractured collarbone, a fractured pelvis and an injury to her bowel.

The jury heard many of these wounds would have required "significant blunt force" and would have caused obvious signs of distress.

Also present at Nadia's time of death were 70 surface injuries including bruising and abrasions which Mr McCollum said would have been clearly visible.

The prosecutor said Nadia was rushed to hospital after her step-father Abdul Wahab made a 999 call in the early hours of December 15, 2019.

When they arrived, paramedics treated the unconscious child in an upstairs bedroom and observed what they believed to be non-accidental injuries which prompted them to contact the PSNI.

Nadia was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital and despite extensive medical intervention, she never regained consciousness and she was pronounced dead at 3.40am.

The court heard that despite the older injuries, neither Nadia's mother nor step-father sought any medical attention prior to her being rushed to hospital on December 15.

In the aftermath of Nadia's death both Mr and Mrs Wahab were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Mrs Wahab claimed that in the early hours of December 15, she was woken by something heavy falling. She also told police she got up and saw Nadia lying at the bottom of the stairs who told her mother she was in pain.

When he was questioned, Mr Wahab said he was awoken by his wife who said something had happened to Nadia. He also claimed he saw Nadia at the bottom of the stairs so he lifted her and took her upstairs. He said that when he saw blood coming from Nadia's head, he washed her in the bathroom before taking her into a bedroom and calling 999.

The prosecutor also revealed that both accused claimed all the injuries sustained to Nadia were accidential. This, said Mr McCollum, was a "proposterous claim" given the "sheer weight and magnitude of the injuries" sustained in the lead-up to her death.

Telling the jury it was the Crown's case that Nadia was subjected to a "campaign of child abuse" involving multiple assaults in the lead-up to her death, Mr McCollum described the youngster as a "beautiful, innocent five-year old child who was tortured and killed in a place where she should have felt safe and secure."

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