Mum accused of starving son, 3, ‘locked herself away during Covid pandemic’
A mum accused of killing her three-year-old son through religious fasting told police she ‘locked herself away’ during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Olabisi Abubakar, from Cardiff, is on trial for two counts of child cruelty and manslaughter relating to the death of her son Taiwo Abubakar.
Police forced entry into her flat on June 29 2020 after concerns about her welfare were raised, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
She was found thin, malnourished and dehydrated lying on the sofa next to the body of her son.
Police found a note on the fridge which said: ‘Do not touch anything, whooping cough, virus, save yourself.’
Pathologist Dr Stephen Leadbetter found Taiwo weighed 22 pounds and died from malnutrition and dehydration.
Abubakar was sectioned on June 30 2020 and remains in hospital being treated for paranoid schizophrenia.
While in the ambulance and in hospital she said she was ‘very hungry’ and ‘couldn’t stand up’.
In hospital she told a police officer: ‘I don’t eat, I can’t cook, because of coronavirus I can’t go and buy food.’
Peter Donnison, prosecuting, said Abubakar was deemed fit for police interview in October 2020 and was interviewed on eight occasions.
Abubakar told police she fell asleep and had gone to heaven before being brought back to life when police officers and her neighbour arrived.
In a police interview she said: ‘I saw myself among the dead in heaven. I was saying, “I don’t want to die”. Then I saw the angels of God and they brought me back to life.’
She also described ‘the effect on her of the pressures of not having help, fearing coronavirus for herself and her child, and her immigration status’.
Mr Donnison said: ‘She described them as depressing. She said she was a religious woman and prayed to God and believed he had heard her and answered prayers and kept them safe.
‘She had been taking her child out daily but she had to stop doing that due to the coronavirus. She described herself as locking herself away due to the coronavirus and her neighbour.’
Health visitors saw Abubakar and Taiwo before the pandemic and had no concerns. The pair were not seen by healthcare professionals during the pandemic.
A police officer was called to a noise complaint by Abubakar’s neighbour in February 2020 and attended her room, which he described as ‘clean and warm’.
Taiwo was seen playing loudly and appeared ‘very energetic’ and healthy.
Abubakar, who is an asylum seeker, also had issues with her neighbour and is a devout Pentecostal Christian who fasts as part of her faith.
Prosecutors alleged she forced her son to fast from both food and water alongside her.
Abubakar denied this and said children should not fast until aged 12.
Mr Donnison said: ‘She said she would dry fast when she wanted to speak to God and hear something from God.
‘She said her child did not fast, he did eat, and she gave him food to eat.’
The jury was told it is not disputed Abubakar neglected her son but the issue is her state of mind at the time.
They will decide whether Abubakar may have been insane, which would make her not guilty of charges against her by reason of insanity.
Abubakar denies manslaughter and two counts of child cruelty and the court will hear the defence’s argument on Thursday. The trial continues.
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