A woman in London has been spared jail after accidentally killing her young neighbor with poisonous gas she imported from Italy to exterminate bedbugs in her flat. Jesmin Akter, 34, distributed aluminium phosphide without a license to deal with the infestation, resulting in the death of 11-year-old Fatiha Sabrin on her birthday and the hospitalization of another child. Akter was sentenced to two years in jail suspended for two years, along with 150 hours of unpaid work.
The judge noted that the landlord’s actions to address the bedbug issue were insufficient, leading Akter to take matters into her own hands by importing the toxic substance. The fatal gas seeped into neighboring flats, causing illness among other residents. Fatiha’s father described her as an amazing child, and her death on her birthday now haunts the family. The judge acknowledged that the sentence given would never bring Fatiha back and seemed inadequate to her family, emphasizing the loss of a promising young life.
Akter expressed remorse, admitting she did not read the packaging containing the poison and was unaware of its dangers. She apologized to Fatiha’s family for the consequences of her actions, explaining that she was desperate after the failure of previous attempts by the landlord to eliminate the infestation. The incident prompted emergency services to be called multiple times before Fatiha tragically passed away. The court heard that the levels of poisonous gas exceeded the lethal dose, causing concern for responders’ safety during their initial investigations.
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