Evil mum who killed baby jailed for six years

Shalini Padmanabha was sentenced today

A woman from Buckhurst Hill has been jailed for killing her seven-month-old baby.

Shalini Padmanabha, 33,  subjected daughter Shagun Prasad to a number of assaults over the course of several weeks.

The baby died in August 2017, after suffering several injuries including broken bones and a suspected bleed to the brain.

In a statement, Shagun’s dad said: “I will live with anguish for the rest of my life that I will never be able to see my girl again.

“I will never be able to see her grow up, educate and have her own life.

“Me and my family lost a precious human being. I really adored my girl.”

Shagun Prasad was assaulted a number of times over several weeks

Emergency services had rushed to an address in Epping New Road at around 3am on Tuesday, 15 August 2017 when Shagun was found unresponsive.

She was taken to hospital but died there a short time later.

A post-mortem found the child had suffered a number of injuries including fractures to the skull and ribs, and there was evidence she had had a bleed on the brain.

It also determined she had died as a result of a severe head injury.

During a three-week trial at the Inner London Crown Court, the jury heard from several experts that these injuries ranged from being days old to more than four-weeks old.

They also gave evidence that certain injuries could not have been the result of an accident and indicated the child had been assaulted on more than one occasion.

Padmanabha claimed the injuries were a result of the child “wiggling a lot” when in her Moses basket, swing or on the floor.

But she was found guilty of manslaughter and child cruelty and was today sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at the Old Bailey.

Detective Chief Inspector Natalia Ross said: “Shalini Padmanabha subjected her daughter to repeated assaults over the course of several weeks.

“She should have protected Shagun but, instead, was the person who caused her death and this is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.

“This has been a particularly tough case to investigate for the officers involved, many of whom are parents themselves, and I want to praise their professionalism and dedication in the search for justice.

“My thoughts go out to the rest of Shagun’s family.”