The grandmother of a 20-month-old girl who died after being left alone at home for seven days has spoken of how she was haunted by her thoughts of what happened.
Asia Batrane told an inquest into the death of her granddaughter, Asiah Naveah Kudi, known by family as Naveah, that some of her “memories are too difficult to face”.
The infant’s mother, Verphy Kudi, was jailed for manslaughter after leaving her daughter while she went partying for her 18th birthday in London and the Midlands in December 2019.
Miss Batrane said: “The thought of Naveah in the flat alone haunts me to this day. There is no question. If I knew Naveah had been left alone, I would have gone to the flat, picked her up and brought her home.”
She said: “I did not find out that Naveah was being left alone until Verphy’s trial.”
Miss Batrane told Brighton and Hove Coroner’s Court, sitting at the Sussex University campus, in Falmer: “I was very anxious when I found out that Verphy was pregnant. She was very young and had been through a lot in her teenage years.
“I was told by Sussex and Metropolitan police that she was sexually trafficked as a teenager.
“I was worried about how she got pregnant and whether she would be able to take care of the baby.
“I had many conversations with Verphy about the responsibilities of having a baby. I told her it was her choice and I would support her either way.
“When she said that she wanted to have the baby, I decided in that moment, that whatever happens, even if she was unable to care for the baby because of her age, I would take over and care for the baby that was about to come in to our lives.
“Before Naveah was born, we had a family meeting with social services. We talked about how Verphy was very young and what to do if she could not take care of the baby.
“I was clear, as were Naveah’s aunties, that we would take the baby if there were any concerns.
“When Naveah was born, my anxiety passed. There were six people in the room to welcome her to the world and out came this beautiful little baby.
“She was tiny. Right there and then my grandmother instinct to protect her kicked in. She felt closer to me than a granddaughter and much more like my own daughter.
“Everyone fell in love with her instantly. She was the first grandchild in the family so my daughters (Naveah’s aunties) all came to see her.
“Naveah was a peaceful baby. She only cried if she was hungry or if her nappy was dirty.
“She had the most beautiful dark brown eyes. Even if she was doing something naughty, when I looked in to her eyes, I just gave in.
“It was impossible to be angry with her. You felt yourself melting when she looked at you.
“At first, Verphy and Naveah were in a mother and baby foster placement to see how Verphy would handle being a young mother.
“I visited them often and took them out on day trips for a walk or for food. We went to a small park with a pond that had a lot of ducks.
“Naveah loved to feed the ducks when she got older. I avoid passing by that pond now because the memories are too difficult to face.
“After a few months, Verphy and Naveah came to live with me. I reduced my full-time job to a part-time position so that I could support them.
“I was there for many of Naveah’s ‘firsts’. I was there when she took her first steps. When she learned how to clap, I cried.
“On her first birthday, we made such a fuss over her. We rented out and decorated a big hall. There were three cakes and the whole family came.
“It was like a wedding. Everybody wore clothes to match her pink and purple dress. Everyone bought her cakes and toys. She was so spoiled.
“She made a very big impact on our family especially because she was the only little one. She really was the centre of everyone’s attention.
“Sometimes it was as if she was looking at everyone fussing over her and thinking to herself, ‘oh my god, these people!’
“She was such a blessing to our whole family. She reminded us what it is to love so unconditionally.
“It was the biggest celebration we had for her. Nobody knew that she was not going to be here for long.
“We calmed down slightly when we thought about what to organise for her second birthday, which never came.
“I think about her all the time. The hardest moments are when I am in the kitchen. From when Naveah was around four months old, she used to come in to the kitchen when I was cooking and climb up my leg.
“I have lots of pictures like this. For the first six months after she passed, I found it very difficult to stand in the kitchen and cook.
“I thought about how much she would have loved the meal I was making. When she died, she was getting in to eating and enjoying her food.
“Around that time, she was also beginning to mumble ‘mama’ and ‘dada’.
“When Naveah was almost two, my eldest daughter’s friend brought a dog over to the house. It was a big dog and, when it walked past Naveah, it accidentally nudged her.
“She grabbed the dog by the ears and started hitting the dog on the head. She was gentle and calm but so cheeky. The dog was very gentle and just looked at her.
“When Verphy moved in to the YMCA families’ accommodation, she had social workers and key workers to help her. As far as I knew, that is what was happening.
“I was their main point of contact. Verphy was under 18 and they were supposed to contact me if they were worried about anything.
“No one called me to tell me that things were not going well. No one told me they needed help. No one communicated to me that Verphy was going out. No one told me that Naveah was being left alone.
“I did not find out that Naveah was being left alone until Verphy’s trial. The thought of Naveah in the flat alone haunts me to this day.
“There is no question. If I knew Naveah had been left alone, I would have gone to the flat, picked her up and brought her home.
“In March 2023, it would have been her fifth birthday. On her birthday, we all go to her grave with food and tea. We eat and talk about memories with her.
“I often wonder what kind of things she would be doing now. I think she would have been a little bit sassy because of the dog incident.
“I imagine that she would come to realise how much everyone loved and fussed over her and use that to her advantage.
“It is painful to think about and I had to stop journaling because these thoughts were too much to handle.
“Naveah’s family, myself, her grandfather and her aunties loved her with everything we had. We are struggling with her loss. We miss her every day.”
The inquest continues.
