SHARJAH // Parents accused of killing their baby girl are to appear in court today for their first hearing, a relative said. A Filipina, identified as VA, 30, and her Indian husband, RS, 30, have been in Sharjah Central Prison since Sept 1, after their baby died from internal bleeding the previous day. Authorities said the seven-week-old girl had been struck on the head. The man is charged with murder and his wife with complicity.
The woman's sister, who had appealed to the Philippine consulate in Dubai for legal assistance, said she had hired a lawyer to defend VA. Her husband's relatives had already hired a lawyer for him. "My sister said no one from the consulate had visited her in jail," VA's sister said. "We are still hoping they could help us." On Aug 31, VA and RS took their baby daughter, identified as RRS, to a private hospital in Sharjah for treatment. According to police, the doctor who examined the baby said she was motionless and not breathing. Police said a post mortem examination showed that the internal bleeding was caused by four heavy blows to the head.
The police also said the Indian engineer had confessed to beating his daughter on several occasions when she had cried and that on the last occasion, when she continued to cry, he struck her four times on the head. Migrante UAE, a migrants' right group, said it would follow up the family's request for legal assistance from the Philippine government. rruiz@thenational.ae