Mother convicted of baby killing

A mother has been found guilty of the manslaughter of her 13-week-old son who was shaken to death.

Nosheen Arshad, 25, of Beechwood Road, Luton, was earlier cleared of murdering Mohamed Zaid who died in November 2007.

Mr Justice Saunders told Luton Crown Court that prosecution experts had been unable to agree on the degree of force needed to cause the death by shaking.

Arshad will be sentenced in December following the preparation of reports, but was granted bail in the meantime.

'Complicated case'

The case relied solely on the evidence of experts called by both the prosecution and the defence.

Mr Justice Saunders thanked the jury for the care they had taken.

He told the five men and seven women: "This has been as complicated a case on the evidence that I have come across.

"They are difficult cases and no-one underestimates the difficulty you will have gone through to reach your verdict."

They deliberated for just under 18 hours over four days.

During the trial the jury heard that Mohamed was at first thought to have died from sudden heart failure but medical experts found bleeding to his brain, spinal cord and both eyes.

We do not know why it happened, it may have been a momentary loss of temper by an over stressed mother Prosecutor Frances Oldham QC

Prosecutor Frances Oldham QC said following the findings from a post-mortem examination, extensive medical evidence from experts had been gathered.

Mrs Oldham said the pathologist's conclusion from the pattern of bleeding he found was that the baby had suffered a head injury as the result of shaking, or shaking combined with an impact.

The prosecutor told the jury: "We do not know why it happened, it may have been a momentary loss of temper by an over stressed mother, we simply do not know."

Speaking with the assistance of a translator, Mrs Arshad repeatedly said she had not shaken her son.

Her barrister Peter Carter QC asked what she had to say about the prosecution suggestion that the baby was in that condition because she had shaken him.

She replied: "The first thing is he is my son, why would I kill him? I was having a very happy life with my family."