Baby girl allegedly thrown out of window by mother suffered fatal head injury, court hears

An 18-day-old baby girl suffered a fatal head injury when she was allegedly thrown out of a window by her mother, a court has heard.

Baby Mariam plunged 10 metres (32ft) from her family's third-floor flat in Westminster, central London, on Saturday.

Zahira Byjaouane had been due to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday charged with her daughter's murder, but was unable to attend the hearing.

Emergency services arrived within minutes of her husband's 999 call at 7.30am and found Mariam lying on a concrete surface between the block of flats on Great Peter Street and a high metal railing, the court heard.

Mariam was taken to hospital in a "critical condition" where she died at 9am, having suffered a fracture to the skull, prosecutor Philip McGhee said.

Police went inside the flat and found her mother sitting on a bed.

The 43-year-old was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and then charged with murder the following day.

Mariam's father was present in the flat but was said to have been in the kitchen making baby formula when the defendant allegedly threw the newborn from a sash window.

Mr McGhee said the husband had run outside but was unable to reach his child. He returned inside and called 999.

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Judge Mark Lucraft KC set a timetable for the case, with a plea hearing on 3 June and a provisional 10-day trial before him from 15 February 2027.

The judge remanded the defendant into custody.

(c) Sky News 2026: Baby girl allegedly thrown out of window by mother suffered fatal head injury, court hears