A man allegedly watched on Skype as his girlfriend carried out his instructions to dangle her infant daughter head first in a bucket of water.
On Thursday, the couple was both convicted in Oslo, Norway, of manslaughter in the death of the toddler. Although both were originally charged with murder, the court was unable to prove intent, resulting in the lesser conviction of manslaughter.
Ammaz Qureshi watched from the UK as Yasmin Chaudhry disciplined her daughter in Norway in October 2010. “Hunaina Chaudhry died after her mother Yasmin Chaudhry plunged her head in a bucket of water following the webcam instructions of Ammaz Omer Qureshi, who was in London at the time… According to the police, the incident took place around 3 am, after the toddler interrupted the couple during an online video chat.”
Yasmin Chaudhry dialed the UK version of 911 when the toddler became unconscious. The 21-month-old tragically died of a swelling in the brain the next day in the hospital.
Chaudhry reportedly described her daughter as a “difficult child” and subjected her to various forms of harsh discipline such as deliberate sleep deprivation, swallowing chili powder, being gagged, and forcing her to sleep on the floor. According to the toddler’s mother when the trial commenced in March , “Ms. Chaudhry alleges Mr. Qureshi told her to discipline her daughter from an earlier marriage to teach her respect for adults.”
Authorities extradited Qureshi , 35, who apparently was married when the couple began their affair, from Britain to Norway in December 2012.
Under the court’s ruling, Qureshi will serve nine years in prison, while Chaudhry, 28, will serve eight years because she cooperated with investigators. Prosecutors had sought prison sentences in the range of 16 to 18 years.
The couple originally met on Facebook in the fall of 2009, and they apparently remained in a long-distance relationship over the internet after she returned to Oslo in 2010.
[Image via Twin Design / Shutterstock.com ]
