Picture shows Verphy Kudi with daughter Asiah

But the infant died at just 20 months old after being left to starve in a Brighton flat while her mother celebrated her 18th birthday at a series of parties across the country.

The image was reportedly taken on the infant's first birthday in March 2019, just nine months before the devastating incident.

Appearing at Lewes Crown Court this morning, Kudi admitted the manslaughter of her daughter between December 4 and 12 that year.

• READ MORE: Verphy Kudi admits manslaughter after death of baby Asiah

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Wolstenholme, the senior investigating officer looking into Asiah's death said the case was "particularly distressing" and "has caused great sorrow among Verphy's family and the many agencies that have supported Verphy and Asiah".

Detectives uncovered CCTV which showed that Kudi had left her home in Islingword Road, Brighton, on December 5.

They then found she had been to parties in London, Coventry and Solihull near Birmingham before returning On December 11 to her flat, where she had been housed by social services, to find her daughter unresponsive.

Verphy Kudi outside Brighton Magistrates' Court in November 2020

Kudi called 999 and ambulance crews quickly arrived to take the one-year-old to the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, but she was tragically pronounced dead soon after arriving at the site.

Little Asiah had contracted influenza, and a post mortem examination concluded she died from neglect.

Kudi's guilty plea in court this morning was accepted by the prosecution and by Judge Christine Laing, who adjourned the case for reports prior to sentencing on May 28. The teenager remains in custody.

A safeguarding review has been launched by the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership (BHSCP).