20 May 2024 , 19:04
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A woman who admitted killing an 11-year-old girl in east London with bed bug poison has also pleaded guilty to importing it.
At an Old Bailey hearing on Monday, Jesmin Akter, 33, pleaded guilty to importing a regulated substance. She had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter.
The court heard how the girl, who lived in the flat above, suffered a cardiac arrest when the aluminium phosphide was exposed to moisture in Akter's flat and created a noxious gas, which spread through the building. Akter had bought the substance online and imported it to the UK from Italy.
Judge Alexia Durran told Akter, who is on bail, that she is to be sentenced on July 18 and could face prison. The judge told her: “It is important that although I am giving you bail today – that is no indication at all of what the final sentence might be in this case.”
On Monday, Akter admitted importing a regulated substance, aluminium phosphide, from Italy without a licence on 26 November 2021. It had been alleged she scattered pellets of the substance, which is a regulated poison, around her flat in Shadwell, east London, to tackle a bed bug problem that was rife in her block of flats.
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The aluminium phosphide is believed to have been activated by moisture to create the dangerous gas phosphine, which travelled to the flat of an 11-year-old girl. The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died in hospital on December 11 2021.
Thames Magistrates Court had earlier heard how the girl went into cardiac arrest after being poisoned by phosphine gas from aluminium phosphide pellets in the flat below her family home. Prosecutor Varinder Hayre Hayre said of Akter: “She distributed a number of tablets on the floor of her flat, and on the top of the cabinets, using almost three times the required about for the space she used it in. The aluminium phosphide was activated by exposure to the moisture in her flat, creating a dangerous gas known as phosphine gas, a highly toxic and poisonous gas.
“This gas then travelled to the flats above Mrs Akter’s flat, which resulted in the gas travelling to the 11-year-old victim’s own flat. As a result the victim went into cardiac arrest on the 11th December 2021, and she passed away shortly afterwards in the hospital, despite efforts being made by the medical team.”
Commenting on the case earlier this year, Ian Andrew, Chief Executive at British Pest Control Association, said: "It's a tragic situation which could have been avoided, and highlights the risks of attempting dangerous DIY pest control methods. This particular product is regulated for a reason, as this awful case shows. However, no pesticide - regulated or not - should be used without due care. If you’re concerned about any pest control products, contact your local professional pest management company."