Many faces of Verpgy Kudi partying while her 20-months old daughter starved to death in her apartment
A teen mother broke down in tears as she was jailed for nine years after leaving her baby to starve to death while she went partying for six days to celebrate her 18th birthday.
Verphy Kudi went to a 1990s music concert in Elephant and Castle and even had a DJ announce her birthday during her days-long jaunt away from home, a court heard. Video shown in court showed her leaving her flat on December 5, 219, left, and returning six days later.
All the while her 20-month-old daughter Asiah was alone in her flat in a ‘supported housing’ block in Brighton more than 50 miles away. Asiah died from influenza and starvation after having been left unattended for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes, prosecutors said.
When paramedics were finally called to the flat on December 11, 2019 after Kudi had returned, they found her ‘incoherent, distressed and distraught’ and her daughter lying on the floor. Kudi, now 19, today appeared in the dock at Lewes Crown Court on Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty to manslaughter. She broke down in tears as she was jailed for nine years and taken away by court staff. Judge Laing said the baby had gone through ‘almost unimaginable suffering’ before dying alone in the flat.
Sentencing Kudi on Friday, August 6, 2021, Judge Christine Laing QC said: ‘Asiah was alone in that flat for six days – less two hours – unable to do anything to draw attention to her plight.
‘She was a helpless child and relied completely on you as her mother to provide for her needs.
‘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 goes without saying that this is a particularly tragic case and it no doubt raises strong emotions in all who hear of it, but everyone should bear in mind that the charge I sentence you for is one of manslaughter, it being accepted that you did not intend to cause Asiah death nor to cause her really serious harm.’
Judge Laing QC branded Kudi ‘deceitful and manipulative’ and added: ‘You knew full well you should not be doing what you were doing.
‘It is a particularly distressing aspect of this case that it is unlikely she would have cried for any time because she had learned on may occasions there would have ben no response.’
