Mother pleads not guilty to murdering 17-month-old daughter

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 15:19 · Archive

A 36-year-old mother has pleaded not guilty to murdering her 17-month-old daughter in Dudley.

Faiza Hassan, 36, from Dudley, appeared in the dock at Wolverhampton Crown Court alongside her mother, Sahra Hassan, 61, from Walsall, on Thursday. Hassan spoke only to confirm her identity and enter her not guilty plea to murder. She also pleaded not guilty to eight counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of cruelty to a person under 16 years.

Sahra Hassan denied one count of causing or allowing the death of a child and one count of cruelty to a person under 16 years. As she entered her pleas via a Somali interpreter, she said: "I'm the grandmother. I love my granddaughter." All the offences are alleged to have taken place between November 2022 and April 2023.

West Midlands Police said officers were called to a property in Castle Hill, Dudley, by paramedics at about 5.20pm on 9 April 2023. The girl was pronounced dead later that day. A post-mortem established that she had died after suffering a number of injuries. Both defendants were released on conditional bail. A provisional trial date of 4 October 2027 was set, with the trial expected to last up to eight weeks.

How it is being reported

• Major court update over Dudley mum accused of murdering 17-month-old daughterFaiza Hassan, 36, appeared in court alongside the toddler's grandmother Sahra HassanBirminghamLive · 8 Oct, 14:23
• Mother, 36, pleads not guilty to murder of 17-month-old daughter in DudleyA mother and grandmother were in court over the alleged murder of a toddlerExpress & Star · 8 Oct, 13:44

In this story: Faiza Hassan · Sahra Hassan · Dudley · Wolverhampton Crown Court · West Midlands Police

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem