Brighton Toddler Starved to Death While Mum Partied
The Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has released a shocking review into the heartbreaking death of 20-month-old Asiah Kudi in December 2019.
Asiah Left Alone for SIX Days
Asiah was found dead in a Brighton flat after her mother, Verphy Kudi, went out celebrating her 18th birthday. Lewes Crown Court later sentenced Verphy to nine years in prison for manslaughter.
Prosecutor Sally Howes QC revealed chilling CCTV footage showed Verphy left Asiah alone and unattended for five days, 21 hours, and 58 minutes. Verphy travelled to London and Coventry during this time, living like a “carefree teenager” while her baby suffered at home.
Starvation and Illness: The Cause of Death
A post-mortem confirmed Asiah died from starvation and influenza. She showed signs of severe dehydration and extreme nappy rash, adding to the tragedy.
Authorities Respond
“Today is a very difficult and sad day for many people as we are reminded again that a young life has been lost in awful circumstances,” said Deb Austin, Executive Director of Families, Children & Learning at Brighton & Hove City Council.
Deb continued: “The independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review found that no professionals involved could have predicted Asiah’s mum would abandon her sick toddler for almost six days. The review also noted the high level of support already being provided and praised good practice by practitioners.”
Following Asiah’s death, Brighton & Hove have strengthened multi-agency assessments before making changes to children’s plans and updated guidance for social workers handling vulnerable children.
Deb added: “We are improving housing support for families in crisis and will embed all the review’s recommendations to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”
She concluded: “Social workers do incredible work supporting countless children to live safe and hopeful lives. The death of a child is every worker’s worst nightmare.”
Inquest Scheduled for Next Year
The inquest into Asiah’s death is set for next year. Authorities say they will fully participate but will not comment further until the legal process is complete.
