A mother has been cleared of murdering her 14-month-old daughter by the High Court in Glasgow.
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 found the case against her not proven by majority following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. The jury took just over an hour to reach a verdict.
Mrs Ahmed had told jurors at the High Court in Glasgow that her daughter choked on a piece of toast.
She sat emotionless in the dock as the verdict was returned, but as she left the court, she broke down in the arms of a female relative.
Mrs Ahmed later gave a statement through her lawyer Aamer Anwar, in which she said she “died” the day she lost Inaya and “nothing would ever take the pain away”.
The statement said: “The short times I got to spend with my daughter Inaya will forever be the most cherished moments of my life.
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“She passed away on the 20th of April last year at an age of just 14 months.
“The day she was born brought joy to my life, which had become full of such suffering since 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.”
Mrs Ahmed added: “I loved her more than anything in this world and always will.
“From the outset, I have protested my innocence and am grateful to my legal team for all their hard work and fighting for the right verdict today. But my life is over – I died the day I lost my Inaya. Nothing will ever take that pain away.”
After a 21-day trial, the jury of eight women and seven men took just over an hour to find the charge against Mrs Ahmed not proven.
Judge Lord Matthews told them: “It’s not meant to be an enjoyable business. At the end of the day, Inaya is dead. It’s a terrible tragedy and we had to pick over the bones of it.”
