Woman accused over baby’s death ‘searched ‘I want to give up my child’ on phone’

By Luke O'Reilly, Reporter18th February 2022News EnglandChild Abuse, Child Protection, Childrens Services, Courts / Justice, London, Mental Health, News England

A mother accused of causing the death of her baby daughter through neglect searched “I want to give up my child” on her mobile phone in the weeks before her death, a court has heard.

Fartun Jamal, 25, is said to have made a series of internet searches relating to giving up her child while caring for 11-month-old Nafahat at their home at Kingfisher Way, Brent Park, London.

The searches included “I want to give up my child” and “I can’t cope with my child anymore”, Edward Brown QC told Harrow Crown Court (pictured).

Mr Brown told the jury that Nafahat died from a chest infection on March 13 2019, and that her death could have been prevented had her mother sought adequate medical aid in the weeks leading up to her death.

He said that Nafahat was ill from at least March 4, and her condition worsened before she died more than a week later.

Mr Brown told the jury that the nearest medical centre was just across the road from her home.

However, he said that Jamal never brought Nafahat to the practice.

Instead she made two phone calls to the GP, but the jury was told that she never spoke to a doctor, and receptionists at the service are “adamant” that they would not have given Jamal medical advice.

“The very fact that she called the GP shows that she recognised that Nafahat was ill and needed medical assistance,” Mr Brown said.

Then on March 5, Jamal and Nafahat missed an appointment with the paediatrician. The reason given was that “the baby was unwell”.

Mr Brown told the jury: “You would think that that would have been an obvious opportunity for her to get Nafahat treated for her illness.”

Nicolly Ruffo, an inexperienced 19-year-old babysitter who visited the home on March 8, described the living conditions in a statement read out to the court.

“The kitchen was dirty,” she said.

“There were dirty plates in the sink.

“The only food in the cupboard was a multipack of crisps. I did not see any plates or cutlery it looked like it was all in the sink.”

The next morning she heard Nafahat crying and entered her room to investigate.

“There was a smell of old milk,” she said.

Ms Ruffo said she gave Nafahat some milk and then they watched TV together.

She added that the baby was very quiet, except making “small noises like children do when they are about to cry”.

The court heard that paramedics were called to the flat by a neighbour on March 13.

At the scene, paramedics were told by Jamal that she had discovered her daughter’s body after having a dream that she had died.

Paramedic Samantha Sweet told the court that she arrived at the scene at 12.24pm.

She said: “The mother said that she had a dream that the baby had stopped breathing.

“She woke up to find that the baby had in fact stopped breathing.”

Mr Brown told the court that a month before Nafahat’s death a different babysitter contacted social services over her concern with living conditions in the flat.

Aimee Whittaker-George visited the home at Kingfisher Way on February 13, the court heard.

Unhappy with the conditions that Nafahat was living in, the babysitter contacted social services after she left.

However, social services warned Jamal ahead of their visit and when they arrived on February 22 they found that the flat was clean and the situation had improved.

A second social services visit, without a warning, was planned for March 13 – the day that Nafahat died.

Jamal is charged with one count of causing death by neglect, two counts of child cruelty in relation to Nafahat, and a third count of child cruelty in relation to another child.