London, Oct 1 (PTI) An Indian-origin couple who were charged with the murder of their three-year-old daughter nearly two years ago by the Metropolitan Police have been accused of “deliberately starving” the toddler at a court hearing in London.
Manpreet Jatana, 34, and Jaskiret Singh Uppal, 36, appeared at the Old Bailey criminal court on Tuesday, charged with the murder of Penelope Chandrie.
The couple is additionally charged with manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of a child, and abandoning a child or causing them unnecessary suffering or injury, according to a court report in The Daily Telegraph.
Judge Lynn Tayton has remanded both to custody until the next hearing on December 16, when they will enter their pleas of guilty or not guilty to determine if the case progresses towards sentencing or a jury trial.
The newspaper reported that the prosecution claims that Jatana and Uppal had mistreated their daughter over an “extended period of time” and “deliberately starved” her, leading to her death.
The family’s vegetarian diet is said to have mainly consisted of yoghurt, lentils and butter, and police officers also found their home in west London to be in poor condition.
Police found Penelope’s “very emaciated” body wrapped in a sheet in December 2023, the court was told. An examination of her body found the cause of death was malnutrition.
Pathological findings indicated “starvation over a prolonged period of many months culminating in fatal ketoacidosis”, the prosecution was quoted as saying.
Earlier, the Met Police had said that London’s emergency services were called to a residential address on Pennine Way in Hayes on the evening of December 17, 2023, where the child was found deceased.
The child’s death remained under investigation over the years until Jatana and Uppal were arrested and charged last month.
“Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), both people have been charged with murder in connection with the girl’s death,” the police said at the time.
Legal proceedings in the criminal court result in reporting restrictions until the next court hearing. PTI AK ZH ZH
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