Mother cleared of murdering her toddler

● 28-year-old says she died the day she lost her daughter ● Jury take an hour to find case not proven by majority verdict

A mother has been cleared of murdering her 14-month-old daughter by smothering her with a pillow.

Sadia Ahmed, 28, had been accused of murdering Inaya by smothering her at their home in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow on 17 April 2016. The child died three days later.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took just over an hour yesterday to find the case against her not proven by majority verdict.

In a statement read by her lawyer Aamer Anwar outside the court, Ms Ahmed said: “The short time I got to spend with my daughter Inaya will forever be the most cherished moments of my life.

“The day she was born brought joy to my life which had become full of such suffering from the day I was married.

“No-one can imagine the pain of a mother losing her baby. I will never see her smile again or be able to hold her in my arms.

“The nightmare did not end with her death but continued with being accused of the most horrific crime possible, the murder of one’s child, my Inaya.

“I loved her more than anything in this world and always will.”

She added: “My life is over. Idiedthedayilostmyinaya and nothing will ever take that pain away.”

The prosecution

had claimed the 28-year-old “calmly snuffed out the life” of her daughter,howeverthedefence suggested the child died after choking on some bread.

Ian Duguid QC, defending, had urged the jury to return a verdict of acquittal.

Addressing the jury on Tuesday, he questioned the idea of an initial attempt at a coverup and suggested that “the truth might be that she really choked on bread”.

He told how everybody who was interviewed on the day in question “was giving exactly the same story”.

Mr Duguid spoke of evidence of food debris in the toddler’s lungs and said Inaya had not been properly weaned on to solid food.

Choking would be “a lot more likely for this child”, he said.

Charging the jury earlier yesterday, judge Lord Matthews said the case rested on circumstantial evidence.

He said: “No crown witness has said they saw the accused putting the pillow over Inaya’s face. The crown case is a circumstantial one.”

Lord Matthews urged the jury to put their emotions aside when reaching a verdict. Ms Ahmed looked composed as the verdict was announced but appeared emotional as she left the court room.