Mother guilty of killing baby

A mother has been found guilty of killing her three-month-old daughter.

Kaylani Kalanzi was on the radar of social services even before she was born and placed on a child protection plan, the Old Bailey was told.

On July 8 2024, she was admitted to hospital having been violently shaken, with an impact to her head.

She suffered catastrophic brain injuries as well as a broken leg and ribs, and died in hospital 15 days later.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC had told jurors that Kaylani’s parents were “selfish and irresponsible”, putting their abusive relationship above their child’s needs.

She said that mother Nazli Merthoca was responsible for causing Kaylani’s death, and her partner Herbert Kalanzi failed in his duty to protect his child.

Both Merthoca, 24, and Mr Kalanzi, 35, from East Ham, east London, denied wrongdoing and declined to give evidence at their Old Bailey trial.

On Tuesday a jury cleared Merthoca of murder but found her guilty of the lesser alternative charge of manslaughter, after deliberating for more than 15 hours.

Mr Kalanzi was cleared by the jury of causing or allowing Kaylani’s death.

He was formally acquitted of her murder on the directions of Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

Merthoca wiped away tears in the dock as she was remanded into custody to be sentenced on December 15.

After the verdict, Detective Inspector John Marriott, from Scotland Yard, said: “Merthoca carried out a horrific assault on her own child. To add insult, she then spun a web of lies to the emergency services in order to cover up her responsibility.

“Though Kaylani’s life was cut short by this hideous abuse, there were relatives who loved and cared for her. They have been left traumatised by her killing, and our thoughts are with them at this time.

“Investigators compiled extensive digital evidence which, coupled with overwhelming medical evidence, painted a damning picture of the defendant at trial.

“Offences against children, especially of this gravity, are some of the most difficult cases police deal with. The evidence here was particularly harrowing and complex, and I would like to commend the investigation team for their work bringing Merthoca to justice.”

Previously, Ms Johnson told jurors that Merthoca had consumed drugs and was in a “mutually abusive relationship” with Mr Kalanzi.

Kaylani had been born prematurely and spent 29 days in the special care baby unit at North Middlesex Hospital before being allowed home on May 13 2024.

Social services were involved with the family and allowed the defendants custody of Kaylani after they demonstrated they were fit parents, jurors heard.

Mr Kalanzi had agreed to attend Caring Dad, a programme aimed at engaging fathers to enhance the safety and wellbeing of their children.

But the prosecution asserted the defendants’ relationship was so damaged that the social services strategy was “doomed to fail”.

Ms Johnson told jurors that on July 8 2024 the “ever-present risk” to Kaylani became a “fatal reality”.

Shortly before 10.30pm, the defendants called emergency services saying Kaylani had stopped breathing.

When paramedics arrived, Merthoca failed to inform them that Kaylani had been shaken, causing bleeding to the brain, damage to her eyes and fractures to her tibia and ribs, the court was told.

Staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital noted Merthoca had become upset at being questioned about what happened, and had claimed she was being blamed because of her “race and gender”.

Both defendants denied harming Kaylani at Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton, east London, where the family was staying at the time.