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The parents of an 11-week-old baby who died of head injuries appeared in court yesterday charged with failing to provide the baby with the necessaries of life and wilful cruelty.
Tabbasum Mahomed, 24, and Azees Mahomed, 29, entered no pleas when they appeared in the Manukau District Court.
Their daughter Tahani Mahomed was admitted to hospital on December 28 last year with head injuries. Police launched a homicide inquiry when she died on New Year's Day.
That inquiry is ongoing and is waiting for forensic tests which could take weeks to complete.
An autopsy found Tahani had a fractured skull, brain haemorrhaging and retinal haemorrhaging that killed her. She also had broken bones, soft tissue injuries and was so malnourished that she hadn't put on any weight since she was born almost three months earlier.
The charges the couple faced yesterday related to the malnourished condition Tahani was allegedly in when she was admitted to hospital and an incident that allegedly occurred on December 19 where Tahani was left alone in a car.
The couple were remanded on bail to an Auckland address until their next court appearance on March 19.
