Baby ‘shaken to death while caught in middle of parents’ abusive relationship’

Kaylani Kalanzi’s parents Herbert Kalanzi, 35, and Nazli Merthoca, 24, are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of murder and causing or allowing her death (Picture: ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

A three-month-old baby was shaken to death while caught in the middle of her parents’ abusive relationship, the Old Bailey has heard.

Kaylani Kalanzi was known to social services and on a child protection plan when she was admitted to hospital on July 8.

She had suffered catastrophic brain injuries, along with fractures to her leg and ribs, and died there 15 days later.

Her parents Herbert Kalanzi, 35, and Nazli Merthoca, 24, are now on trial accused of murder and causing or allowing her death.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told jurors: ‘Kaylani was an otherwise healthy baby who suffered terrible injuries during the evening of July 8, 2024.

‘Those injuries, caused by a parent who should have been protecting Kaylani, were the culmination of a short life lived in an abusive and dangerous environment.’

Jurors were told Kalanzi and Merthoca were in a ‘mutually abusive relationship’, with Kaylani left vulnerable to their inability to put her safety first.

As the relationship ‘spiralled out of control’, she was ‘caught up in the middle of it’, Ms Johnson said.

Kaylani had been born prematurely and spent 29 days in the special care baby unit at North Middlesex Hospital before being allowed home on May 13, 2024.

The court was told social services were involved with the family and allowed the couple custody of the infant after they demonstrated they were fit parents.

But WhatsApp and Snapchat messages uncovered after they were arrested over Kaylani’s death showed the extent of their abusive relationship, it was said.

On June 17, 2024, Kalanzi messaged Merthoca to complain about being locked out, saying: ‘Who do you think you are?’

Merthoca told him that she was going to call police and Kalanzi called her ‘dumb’, responding: ‘If you go police u lose everything. Moving like social aren’t onto us about domestic.’

Kaylani’s mother accused her partner of hurting their child, saying: ‘Bye Your dead to me (sic).’

She told him: ‘You hurt Kaylani eye. Wtf I’m reporting this. You gave her a black eye. And blood.’

A Snapchat video taken in the early hours showed Kaylani lying on a cushion with a visible eye injury, jurors were told.

Merthoca went on: ‘Her head is bruised as well. You won’t be sleeping when the doors taken off. She didn’t deserve this.’

Jurors were told Kalanzi and Merthoca were in a ‘mutually abusive relationship’, with Kaylani left vulnerable to their inability to put her safety first (Picture: Getty Images)

Immediately afterwards, she allegedly searched the internet for ‘what to do if baby had blood shot eye’ and ‘baby eye injury red spot’.

Two days later, the pair took Kaylani to see a GP with redness on her eye, which they said was caused by being accidentally hit with a rattle by an older child.

The court was told that Kalanzi had always denied being responsible for the injury, claiming it was an accident.

Ms Johnson told jurors: ‘In itself, the eye injury was minor, but it is a graphic example of the defendants’ inability to care properly for Kaylani and their failure to take action to protect her from harm and remove her from danger.

‘On July 8, 2024, the ever-present risk to Kaylani became a fatal reality.’

Shortly before 10.30pm, the couple called emergency services saying Kaylani had stopped breathing.

When paramedics arrived, the couple failed to inform them that Kaylani had been shaken, causing bleeding to the brain, damage to her eyes and fractures to her tibia and ribs, the court was told.

Ms Johnson said: ‘Their attempts to protect themselves is, you may think, in stark contrast to their ability to protect Kaylani.’

Jurors heard the pair denied injuring Kaylani at Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton, east London, where the family was staying at the time.

Ms Johnson said medical experts had ruled out accidental injury so the primary issue for them to decide was who shook Kaylani.

The prosecutor said: ‘One of them is lying. One of them did it. But only they know who the culprit is.’

She added: ‘As there are no witnesses to what happened in that bedroom in the very short time it took to shake Kaylani, at this stage the prosecution cannot point to one or other of the defendants and say, “you did it”.’

However, she suggested the parent responsible for murdering Kaylani would emerge once all the evidence had been heard.

The defendants, from East Ham, east London, have denied the charges against them.

Their trial continues.

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