Unlicensed Dubai nanny charged with causing death of toddler

An unlicensed nanny has denied causing the death of a 2-year-old girl who suffered internal bleeding due to head injuries she sustained while in the defendant’s care.

DUBAI // An unlicensed nanny has denied causing the death of a girl, 2, who died from head injuries sustained while in her care.

The Dubai Criminal Court was told Pakistani A W, 31, posted her services as a nanny on the dubizzle website. The toddler’s Moroccan mother K A, 22, said she was looking for a nursery for her child while she was at work.

“I contacted her then visited her apartment to check it and found it was prepared and there were other children in her care,” said the mother.

She agreed to let the Pakistani care for her daughter from 7am to 3pm for Dh650.

She only sent her daughter twice, on July 9 last year and July 12 – the day the toddler died.

The mother said that just before 3pm that day she had calls from the defendant saying the child was almost unconscious.

“When I got to the apartment my baby was breathing with much difficulty and could barely open her eyes. I tried to breastfeed her but she wouldn’t, then she said ‘Mummy’ and that’s it.”

She rushed the child to a nearby clinic with her husband.

The staff called for an ambulance when their attempts to revive her failed. She was resuscitated at Latifa Hospital and taken to the intensive care unit but died the following day.

The defendant told the mother her the child had fallen off the couch, landing on her head.

“The coroner said the methods to resuscitate her were not correct and therefore they contributed in causing her death,” said the girl’s mother.

A post-mortem examination showed the child died of haemorrhaging from two head injuries. The defendant denied causing the child’s death by failing to provide proper care.

The next hearing is scheduled for March 7.