Brighton: Inquest begins into death of toddler Asiah Kudi

Asia Batrane said everyone fell in love with little Asiah Kudi and she was doted on by her family.

She said she had no idea that Asiah was being left alone for days at a time.

Speaking at an inquest into the tot's death, Ms Batrane said: "Everyone fell in love with her instantly.

Asiah and Verphy Kudi

“She reminded us what it is to love unconditionally.

“If I knew [that Asiah was being left alone] I would have gone to the flat and picked her up and brought her home.

"The thought of Naveah in the flat alone haunts me to this day."

Naveah is "heaven" backwards and a name the family used for Asiah.

Asiah died in December 2019 after being left alone in a flat in Islingword Road, Brighton, for more than six days.

A post-mortem report found she died from influenza and starvation.

Verphy Kudi, Asiah’s mother and Ms Batrane’s daughter, was found to have left her baby while she went partying in London and Coventry for her 18th birthday.

Kudi admitted manslaughter and in August 2021 was sentenced to nine years in prison.

She listened to the inquest online from prison while her mother paid tribute to Asiah in a prepared statement.

Ms Batrane told the court how her family were worried about child sexual exploitation regarding Verphy Kudi.

Verphy Kudi outside court in 2021

Kudi, now 21, was only 15 when she became pregnant with her daughter.

Ms Batrane told police her daughter changed when she turned 14 and started going missing.

In a different statement provided to the police and read to the court, she wrote:“She was angry, she shut me out. Then she started going missing. She was placed in a safe house as it was believed she was being sexually exploited.”

The inquest heard how Asiah’s family celebrated her first birthday by booking a big hall for a family celebration.

Ms Batrane said: "It was the biggest celebration we had for her. Nobody knew that she was not going to be here for long.

"We calmed down slightly when we thought about what to organise for her second birthday, which never came."

On Asiah's birthday this year, members of the family visited her grave with food and tea and shared memories of her.

Ms Batrane added: "[Asiah's] family, myself, her grandfather and her aunties loved her with everything we had.

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"We are struggling with her loss. We miss her every day."

In a written pen portrait read by Ms Batrane to the court, she said she only found out her grandaughter was being left alone for days at a time when Kudi was in court charged with manslaughter.

She said: "I was very anxious when I found out Verphy was pregnant. She was very young and had been through a lot.

“I was told by Sussex Police and Met Police she had been sexually trafficked as a teenager.

“I was worried about how she got pregnant and if she would be able to take care of her baby.

“I had many conversations with her and told her it was her choice and I would support her in any way. When she decided to have the baby, I decided that whatever happened I would take over and care for the baby that was about to come into our lives.

“Before she was born, we had family meetings with social services and talked about how she was very young.

“I was clear we would take care of the baby if there were any concerns. When she was born, my grandmother instincts kicked in.

“She felt more like my own daughter. Everyone fell in love with her instantly.

“She was a peaceful baby. She only cried if she was hungry of if her nappy was dirty.

“She had the most beautiful dark brown eyes. Even if she was doing something naughty, when I looked into her eyes, I just gave in. You felt yourself melting when she looked at you.”

The grandmother fought back tears as she described looking after her granddaughter, adding: “She made a very big impact on our family. She was such a blessing."

Sentencing Verphy Kudi in 2021, Judge Christine Laing KC told her: “It is almost unbearable to contemplate her suffering in the final days of her life, suffering that she endured so that you could celebrate your birthday and the birthdays of your friends as a carefree teenager.

"It is almost unbearable to contemplate her suffering in the final days of her life."

Verphy Kudi (Image: Sussex Police)

When Kudi returned to Brighton after six days of partying, she spent nearly three hours in the flat with her baby before dialling 999. 

Jakki Cahill, a social worker who worked with Verphy Kudi, said Kudi and her daughter were in supported accommodation in Hanover.

During her time there, staff reported that Kudi had left Asiah alone for a period of 15 to 30 minutes while she smoked cigarettes with friends in October 2019.

Ms Cahill asked staff to refer the information to a safeguarding service but did not believe they did so.

She said she was told accommodation staff spoke to Kudi and talked about the incident, including imposing a visitor ban, but did not feel it was necessary to refer the information.

Ms Cahill said following a meeting she spoke to her manager and the information was referred to the safeguarding service.

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield chose not to allow a statement from Verphy Kudi into evidence over concerns from lawyers at the inquest.

In a statement made in preparation for the inquest, Kudi named Asiah's father as well as others involved in her life.

However, Brighton and Hove City Council lawyer Debra Powell KC described the statement as "self-serving" and "exculpatory" and said it "threatened to derail the inquest".

The inquest, being held at the Freeman Centre at the University of Sussex in Falmer, continues.