Probe into Blackburn baby's 18 'non accidental injuries'

Aliyaah Mohammed Karolia died from bronchopneumonia brought on by damage done to her bones and central nervous system over several months, an inquest heard.

And the coroner was told that the stress had caused baby Aliyaah to develop a stomach ulcer.

Her parents, Mohammed and Nafisa Karolia,of Meadow Close, Audley, Blackburn, are on bail pending further inquiries after being arrested on suspicion of neglect and cruelty.

The baby was not known to social services. Following her death, her twin sister and another sibling were taken into care.

Ward councillors called for whoever was responsible for Aliyaah’s injuries to be brought to justice.

Aliyaah was taken to hospital on June 15 last year after her parents found her struggling to breathe and with froth around her mouth.

Some 55 minutes later at 7.30am, she died.

Following a post mortem examination which revealed the extent of the injuries to her skeleton, police were called and a criminal inquiry was launched.

Her 18 injuries included damage to her spinal cord, fractured ribs up to six weeks old, fractures to her arm and broken legs. Some of the leg bones had been broken up to three times and dated back 12 weeks.

Details of the police investigation were not made public until an inquest at Blackburn Coroner’s Court this week.

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a narrative verdict which reflected the events.

Police submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service on February 16, and on Monday they were asked for further information by solicitors.

A decision on whether to bring charges will be made once the full file is assessed by the CPS.

Taxi driver Mr Karolia and his wife each took to the witness stand during the inquest.

When quizzed by Mr Singleton about how baby Aliyaah came about the injuries, who caused them and whether she appeared distressed they answered either ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’.

During the inquest Mr Singleton, told Mr and Mrs Karolia that the coroner's court was not a criminal trial and they were not obliged to answer questions that could be incriminating.

Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb said Aliyaah and her twin were healthy babies when delivered by caesarean section on November 26, 2008, at 36 weeks in Royal Blackburn Hospital Aliyaah, the younger of the two girls, had low blood sugars following the birth but was treated successfully, he said.

A health visitor had visited the family but did not raise any concerns.

Dr Lumb told the hearing the baby's injuries were 'non accidental'.

He said: “There was granulation in the nose, some had eroded away.

“In the mouth there was injury under the tongue and lip, which would be caused by forceful contact with the tooth not teething.

“There were ulcers in the stomach which were a stress reaction.

“There was bruising to the central forehead which were relatively new, there was brown staining on the brain, a healing bleed, old bleeding.

“There were injuries of the brain and spinal cord. But they weren’t on their own fatal injuries.

“The injuries played more than a minimal part. They were all around the joints they can occur in a variety of means such as pulling or twisting. I’m not able to be specific about how they occurred.”

Outling the cause of death, Dr Lumb said: "Bronchopneumonia is caused in people with debilitating conditions including multiple injuries.

“There were injuries to the bones, central nervous system. Her bronchopneumonia developed as a secondary consequence of her debilitating injuries."

Giving his verdict, Mr Singleton said: “On the morning of June 15, Aliyaah was then seven months old, she was struggling to breathe, paramedics were called and she was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital and died at 8.25am.

“At a post mortem a skeletal survey exposed a large number of fractures to the legs, arm and injuries to the mouth and to the forehead.

“These injuries seem as recent of 12 hours prior to death and some were two to three weeks prior to death and some were two to three weeks prior to that.”

“I cannot say so as to be certain how the baby came about the injuries. It is not an option to conclude unlawful killing.

“She was found to have a large number of fractures and injuries. This led to bronchopneumonia and no explanation of how the injuries came about have been given.

“I don’t know the circumstances that directly led to her death but as a parent myself you have gone through a great deal of grief since her death.”

AUDLEY ward councillor Yusuf Jan-Varmani said the injuries to baby Aliyaah were appalling.

He said: “I am shocked to hear this has happened to anyone.

"I hope those people who are responsible are brought to justice.

"Somebody should find out why, why did this happen.”

Roy Davies, chair of the borough's health and scrutiny committee, said: "Let the police and social services get on with their job to find out what has happened to the child and bring in the prosecution to ensure the perpetrators are duly treated.”

A police spokesman said they had re-sent a file to the CPS, adding: "The baby had suffered a large number of serious injuries before she died.

"Part of our investigation will be to determine how these injuries were caused and whether they contributed towards her death.

"A 27-year-old man and 20-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of neglect and cruelty and are on police bail pending further inquiries. “ Gladys Rhodes, strategic director of children's services at the borough council, said: "This is a tragic case and we are working closely with the police in their investigation.

"We had no previous involvement with any of the children in the family, but the child's siblings are now in the council's care and care proceedings are ongoing."