SHARJAH// The father of a nine-month-old girl allegedly killed by her family’s maid has demanded the death sentence for his daughter’s killer.
The Emirati child, called Salama, died in hospital last July. She had been comatose for two weeks after being treated for a fractured skull and broken rib.
After her death police questioned her parents and the family’s Indonesian maid before the woman was arrested by officers from Wasit police station.
At Sharjah Criminal Court on Monday, Salama’s father submitted his daughter’s death certificate and asked the court to hand down the death penalty.
“We will not forgive and demand the death penalty,” the serviceman told the court.
The child’s mother said that on day of the incident she left her baby with the maid and left the house.
“When I came back from my outing after 30 minutes, I found Salama in a very bad shape. Suddenly she fell unconscious and I rushed her to hospital,”said the Emirati, adding the maid was the only person in the house.
“We have other maids in the family, however, none of them are allowed to enter our home. The defendant is the only one allowed to be around my child,” she said.
Dr Satish Krishnan, a senior consultant and neurological surgeon at Al Qassimi Hospital, said the girl was unconscious and not breathing when she arrived at hospital.
“Emergency teams resuscitated her and once she started to breathe and was stabilised, a CT scan was carried out and found a blood clot in her brain from an old injury. The scan revealed a skull fracture and broken rib from a previous injury.”
The defendant entered a plea of not guilty to a murder charge
The next hearing is set for February 27.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
