Shalina Padmanabha faces jail after abusing her daughter for nearly half her life (Picture: REX)

A woman who finally conceived after years of trying has been convicted of killing her seven-month-old child.

Shalina Padmanabha, 33, inflicted ‘catastrophic’ head injuries, cracked ribs and bleeding behind the eyes on her daughter.

She told Inner London Crown Court she had no idea what caused her child’s injuries and told police officers she had a ‘wriggly’ baby.

The court heard the baby’s fatal head injuries were the result of either bashing her head against a hard surface or her mother hitting her.


Padmanabha had spent several years trying to conceive with her husband before successfully giving birth to her daughter in February 2016 following IVF treatment.

The baby was rushed to hospital but died from her injuries (Picture: Mark Clifford/Barcroft Media)

The baby was rushed to Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, but died from her injuries in the early hours of August 15, 2017.



Tracy Ayling, QC, prosecuting, said a post-mortem revealed she had died of ‘catastrophic injuries to her head’ and accused Padmanabha of inflicting them.

A skeleton scan and other examinations found several injuries including new and healing fractures to the skull, cracked ribs and bleeding behind the eyes.

The court heard the injuries were consistent with the baby being shaken, squeezed by the ribs and having her left leg pulled and twisted.

Jurors were told some of the injuries dated as far back as three months, suggesting she had been abused for almost half her life.

A jury took 13 hours and 51 minutes to clear Padmanabha of murder and instead convicted her of manslaughter and of cruelty against a person under 16.

Padmanabha, of Buckhurst Hill, Essex, wept in the dock as she was convicted.

Her baby spent the first four and a half months of her life in hospital after she was born prematurely with medical issues.

After she was discharged, she needed to be fed a specialist diet via a tube, had severe eczema and a small hole in her head.

She also required several operations and a number of health support staff monitored her progress.

Padmanabha was remanded in custody ahead of her sentence at the Old Bailey on July 19.

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