Murder accused said she put baby ‘to sleep forever’

Sister-in-law gives evidence at mother’s trial

A woman told a court yesterday that the mother of a murdered baby came downstairs holding the child and said: “I’ve put her to sleep forever.”

Sadia Ahmed, the sisterin-law of the accused – who is also called Sadia Ahmed – told Glasgow High Court that she was at the family home on 17 April last year. She said Ahmed went upstairs with 14-month-old Inaya and was gone for between 30 and 45 minutes.

“She brought Inaya downstairs to the lobby. We heard her voice,” Mrs Ahmed said. “She was holding Inaya against her shoulder and said: ‘I’ve put her to sleep forever.” Asked what language Ahmed was using she replied: “She was speaking Urdu.”

The jury was told that Noor Ahmed – Ahmed’s mother-inlaw – came out to take Inaya from her and asked: “What has happened to her?”

Mr Kearney said: “Did the accused respond?”

The witness replied: “She just said again, ‘I’ve put her to sleep forever.’”

She was asked what was Ahmed’s demeanour, the witness replied: “I don’t remember.”

She was then asked what Ahmed’s mood was that morning and replied: “It was just normal.”

Mrs Ahmed was asked why she never told the police about Ahmed allegedly saying “I’ve put her to sleep forever”, and replied: “I didn’t know what was happening. I was confused. I didn’t know what to say and I didn’t know what not to say.

“Everyone was saying she [the baby] choked on bread.”

Ahmed denies the charges that she murdered Inaya by shaking her and putting a cushion over her face.

The jury has heard that a large extended family lived in the six-bedroom Drumchapel home.

Police and paramedics were called to the house around 11am on 17 April last year.

Inaya was taken to the city’s Royal Hospital for Children and died there on 20 April 20.

Earlier, consultant paediatrician Alison Ramsay had told the trial that Ms Ahmed appeared “shellshocked” when she was at the hospital with her child.

Dr Ramsay said she spoke to Inaya’s mother and father at the hospital and they both seemed “quite stunned, a bit shellshocked”.

She also said that Ahmed told her she was feeding her daughter bread when she began choking and “became floppy”.

The trial continues.