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Verphy Kudi, pictured at Lewes Crown Court on Friday - Eddie Mitchell/Eddie Mitchell

Social services have launched a review after a toddler died when she was left alone for almost a week as her mother celebrated her 18th birthday.

Verphy Kudi walked out on her 20-month-old daughter, Asiah, on the day she turned 18, partying across the country for six days while the child starved to death. On Friday, Kudi, now 19, admitted manslaughter.

Brighton and Hove Council has announced a review into Asiah's death.

CCTV showed that Kudi left her flat in Brighton on Dec 5, 2019, and did not return until Dec 11, when she dialled 999 and told the call handler her baby would not wake up.

Data gathered by Sussex Police showed she had been at parties in London, Coventry and Solihull before returning to Brighton. She admitted the manslaughter of her daughter between Dec 4 and 12.

In the six days for which Asiah was left alone, she starved, dehydrated and contracted influenza. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton on Dec 11. A post-mortem concluded that she died from neglect.

Asiah Kudi was pronounced dead on Dec 11 - Enterprise News and Pictures
Asiah Kudi was pronounced dead on Dec 11 - Enterprise News and Pictures

A few days later, staff at the Brighton mother and baby unit for teenage mothers, where Kudi and her daughter had been living, contacted police after reviewing CCTV footage.

Speaking only to enter her guilty plea and give her name, Kudi appeared at Lewes Crown Court and held her hands to her face after the charge of manslaughter was read to her. She was later seen wiping away tears.

Judge Christine Laing QC told Kudi she will be sentenced in May and ordered that all social services records relating to the case be disclosed to the defence ahead of sentencing. She said the defence would commission a report on Kudi's behalf prior to sentencing, adding: "A doctor will no doubt make arrangements to see you and interview you over the next few weeks."

Asiah had previously been under a child protection plan but was not at the time of her death. Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed that social services were not involved with Kudi when she left her baby alone to die.

A spokesman said: "We have been deeply saddened by this tragedy. The case is currently the subject of criminal proceedings, and the city's Safeguarding Children Partnership is also conducting a review of the circumstances into the tragic death of this young child.

"We are undertaking an internal review, which will feed into the partnership review. We have fully supported the police investigation and are committed to working with the partnership in its review and learning from this.

"Asiah was not on a child protection plan and was not involved with social work services when she died. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further while the criminal proceedings and reviews are ongoing."

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, senior investigating officer at Sussex Police, 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.

"We note the guilty plea entered in this case, and continue to prepare for Verphy's sentencing." By Gabriella Swerling, Telegraph/Yahoo News

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Ankara, Turkey, March 25, 2021.   -   Copyright  AP/Turkish Foreign Ministry

China on Friday imposed sanctions on over a dozen British individuals and entities over what it says are "lies and disinformation" about Xinjiang, in a tit for tat action after the UK and European Union sanctioned Chinese officials for human rights abuses in the region.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the sanctions apply to four entities and nine individuals, including five MPs. The individuals concerned and their immediate family members are now banned from entering China's mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao and Chinese citizens or organisations are prohibited from doing business with them.

"The United Kingdom imposed unilateral sanctions o0000n relevant Chinese individuals and entity, citing the so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang," the ministry said.

"This move, based on nothing lies and disinformation, flagrantly breaches international law and basic norms governing international relations, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, and severely undermines China-UK relations," it added. 

The ministry also said it had summoned the British ambassador to China to protest.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, an MP, said on Twitter he will wear the sanctions as "a badge of honour".

Other individuals targeted include MPs Tom Tugendhat, Neil O'Brien, Tim Loughton, Nusrat Ghani; peers David Alton, Helena Kennedy; as well as barrister David Alton and academic Joanne Nicola Smith Finley.

The entities named are the China Research Group, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, the Uyghur Tribunal and Essex Court Chambers.

They join the 10 European individuals and four entities already slapped by Chinese sanctions earlier this week as the diplomatic row over Xinjiang escalates.

Beijing is accused of serious abuses towards the Uyghur and other Muslim minority groups including the mass arbitrary detention, torture, forced political indoctrination and forced labour in concentration camps of about 1 million people.

Earlier this week, the EU and UK both imposed sanctions on China over Xinjiang. They were the first restrictive measures either sides had slapped on China for human rights abuses in over 30 years. They were swiftly followed by Canada and the US.

China has also lashed out at Western businesses over the matter with state media calling for a boycott of several brands on Thursday including H&M, Adidas and Nike which have all pledged not to use cotton from Xinjiang over forced labour concerns. Euronews

Burundi President-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye attends his inauguration ceremony after the sudden death of predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza, in Gitega, Burundi, June 18, 2020. Photo Reuters

 

Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Ndayishimiye is set to mull bilateral cooperation relations between his country and Egypt, and means to further bolster them in the coming period.

His visit comes days after a high-level delegation from the Burundian presidency arrived Egypt on Sunday through Ethiopia ahead of the Burundian president’s visit.

Informed sources told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the delegation will meet with several top Egyptian officials to prepare for the visit which will see Ndayishimiye meeting El-Sisi for discussions on cooperation and developments in Africa. - Ahram Online

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