Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Emily Pennink

Mother accused of throwing baby girl out of third-floor window 'while dad was in kitchen making formula'

An 18-day-old baby girl suffered a fatal head injury when she was allegedly thrown out of window by her mother, a court has heard.

Baby Mariam plunged from a sash window in her family's third-floor flat in Westminster, central London, on Saturday.

On Wednesday, her mother Zahira Byjaouane, 43, was due to appear at the Old Bailey, charged with her murder, but was unable to attend the hearing.

Outlining the facts, prosecutor Philip McGhee said the defendant's husband had called 999 at 7.30am on Saturday and reported that a child had fallen from a window.

London Ambulance Service and police attended within minutes and found baby Mariam lying on a concrete surface between the block of flats on Great Peter Street and a high metal railing.

Mariam was taken to hospital in a “critical condition”, having fallen about 10 metres, or 32 feet, from the upstairs window, the court was told.

She died in hospital at 9am having suffered a fracture to the skull, Mr McGhee said.

Police went inside the flat and found Byjaouane sitting on a bed.

She was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and then charged with murder the following day.

The baby's father was present in the flat but was said to have been in the kitchen making baby formula when the defendant allegedly threw the baby from a sash window.

Mr McGhee said the husband had run outside and tried unsuccessfully to reach Mariam before returning inside and calling 999.

During the hearing, Judge Mark Lucraft KC set a timetable for the case with a plea hearing on June 3 and a provisional 10-day trial before him from February 15 2027.

The judge remanded the defendant into custody.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.