In Brighton UK, a teen mom abandoned her 20-month-old baby without food and water to celebrate her birthday with friends. 19-year-old Verphy Kudi from Brighton was accused of having left Asiah, her daughter, alone for six days without food or water to have a party with friends.
In December 2019, in a young family supported housing operated by the YMCA on behalf of Brighton and Hove City Council in the east of Sussex City, Kudi, who was only turning 18 during the incident, left her daughter. So, she could meet her friends for her week-long birthday celebration.
Officers kept a copy of a CCTV footage of teen Mom Kudi leaving the supported housing unit before attending parties for her 18th birthday in London, Coventry, and Solihull, about 150 miles from Brighton.
According to the report, when she came home on the 11th of December, Kudi then dialed 999 and said that her daughter would not wake up. The baby girl was brought to the children's Royal Alexandra hospital but was confirmed lifeless upon arrival.
A few days later, unit staff at the residence where the young mother left baby Asiah contacted the police after reviewing CCTV footage showing she left on the 5th of December and did not return until the 11th.
The post-mortem assessment and forensic examinations have found baby Asiah died due to hunger, dehydration, and had developed flu. Her death has been classified as negligence. According to reports, Kudi came to the British Lewes Crown Court and lodged a guilty plea to murder on Friday.
The Teen Mom and Her Family
Later this year, she is due to stand trial. However, the prosecution has accepted her guilty plea. Instead, she will be sentenced on the 28th of May, awaiting a psychology report, but this date could be delayed, the court warned.
The teen mom Kudi has been held in custody since being indicted in October of last year.
Authorities revealed no other information in the short hearing about how baby Asiah's tragic death happened and how she was left alone for so long. Yet, Judge Christine Laing QC, the presiding judge, ordered all social services archives relating to the case be revealed to the defense before the sentencing date.
The sister of teen Mom Kudi, Aisha Batrane, said in an interview that they are heartbroken and angry at how Verphy behaved. She also noted that Verphy had been estranged from the family for quite a long time, and they had minimal contact with her.
She added that "We have spoken to her, and we're still not clear what she was doing for those six days, who she was with and why she left like that? Who the hell knows? We can't understand it."
Baby Asiah's grandad Muba Kudi, 59, spoke after the hearing, "My heart is so broken. He also said that his daughter has been missing since she was 14 years old.
The 20-month-old baby Asiah was under a child protection plan. However, on her last days, there was no social worker assigned to her. Thus, the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership (BHSCP) launched a safeguarding review.
They said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Asiah. In our safeguarding role, we will work with our partners to look into what has happened and carry out a Child Safeguarding Practice Review."
