Mother Jailed for Nine Years after Shaking Three-Month-Old Baby to Death

A 24-year-old woman, Nazli Merthoca, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for killing her three-month-old daughter, Kaylani Kalanzi, after violently shaking her at a property in east London.

According to evidence presented at the Old Bailey, Kaylani was born prematurely and spent 29 days in hospital before being discharged into her parents’ care on May 13, 2024.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told the court that the child was known to social services even before birth and had been placed on a child protection plan due to concerns about her welfare.

The court heard that Merthoca was in what prosecutors described as a “mutually abusive relationship” with the baby’s father, Herbert Kalanzi. As part of social services’ intervention, the parents were required to demonstrate they were fit to care for the child, with Kalanzi agreeing to attend a fatherhood programme. However, the prosecution said the safeguarding strategy was “doomed to fail,” warning that the risks to Kaylani were constant and severe.

On July 8, 2024, emergency services were called shortly before 10:30pm to Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton, east London, where the couple were staying. Paramedics were told the baby had stopped breathing. However, the court was told that Merthoca failed to disclose that Kaylani had been violently shaken.

Medical examinations revealed that the infant had suffered catastrophic brain injuries, bleeding to the brain, damage to her eyes, and fractures to her ribs and tibia. Kaylani was admitted to hospital but died 15 days later from her injuries.

While at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Merthoca reportedly became distressed when questioned about the incident and claimed she was being blamed because of her “race and gender,” hospital staff told the court. Prosecutors said she had lost her temper with the baby after a build-up of pressures and had resisted support offered by social workers.

Defending counsel, Benjamin Aina KC, told the court that Merthoca had experienced “a number of significant challenges” throughout her life, including physical abuse during childhood, time spent in the care system from the age of 12, exploitation by older men, and struggles with cannabis and alcohol use. He also highlighted her grief over the death of her daughter.

After considering the evidence, the court found Merthoca responsible for the fatal injuries and sentenced her to nine years’ imprisonment.