Woman denies killing girl, 11, with poison pellets to tackle bedbugs in flat

A woman has denied killing an 11-year-old girl after allegedly using a poisonous substance to tackle bedbugs in her flat.

Jesmin Akter, 33, entered not guilty pleas to charges of manslaughter and importing a regulated substance in a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday.

She is said to have imported aluminium phosphide from Italy without a licence on November 26, 2021.

Akter then allegedly scattered pellets of the substance – which is a regulated poison – around her flat in Shadwell, east London, to tackle a bedbug problem that was rife in her block of flats.

The aluminium phosphide is alleged to have been activated by moisture to create the dangerous gas phosphine which travelled to the 11-year-old girl’s flat.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, died in hospital on December 11, 2021.

Akter, who is on bail, faces a three-week trial from July 1 at the same court with a further hearing on April 19.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.