A couple accused of starving a seven-year-old girl to death admitted her manslaughter today.

Angela Gordon and her partner, Junaid Abuhamza, entered the pleas in the fourth week of a murder trial at Birmingham Crown Court over the death of Khyra Ishaq.

Gordon's daughter Khyra died on May 17 2008 after being taken to hospital from the defendants' home in Handsworth, Birmingham, in an emaciated condition.

Both defendants told the jury they denied murder but admitted manslaughter.

Abuhamza's plea was accepted and he was found guilty of manslaughter by the jury, after direction from the judge, Mr Justice Roderick Evans.

The prosecution did not accept Gordon's plea and she remains on trial for murder.
Abuhamza, 30, who pleaded guilty to five cruelty charges at an earlier hearing, will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

Prosecutor Timothy Raggatt QC told the court: 'In the case of Junaid Abuhamza, the Crown has come to the decision not to proceed further because in the light of the medical evidence as to his mental health that has emerged during this trial, we no longer seek a verdict in this case.

'As far as Angela Gordon is concerned, the matters remain for the jury's ultimate decision.'

Khyra Ishaq died after succumbing to an infection.
Enlarge   Angela Gordon

Accused: Angela Gordon admitted manslaughter but has denied murdering her daughter Khyra

Earlier in the trial, Mr Raggatt told jurors that she was so emaciated at the time of her death that her condition was outside the experience of medical professionals.
Junaid Abuhamza

'Failed': Junaid Abuhamza admitted child cruelty charges

The QC told the court: 'The infection that brought about Khyra's death was one that was caused, and wholly caused, as a result of one thing - for months, quite literally months, she had been starved.'

Last week, Abuhamza told jurors he blamed himself for her death and felt 'like a failure'.

He said he hadn't noticed how thin she had become, adding: 'With all that was going on in the house, I couldn't see what was going on in front of me.'

Asked if he loved Khyra, he answered: 'I did, yes. I feel like a failure.'

Abuhamza last week told court how his father had beaten him with a stick, sexually abused him and made him sleep on the toilet floor.

He even claimed he saw his father beat his younger sister to death because she didn't flush the toilet.

Paul Lewis, defending, had previously told jurors: 'At the time we are concerned with, Junaid Abuhamza was not in his right mind, he was suffering from mental illness or schizophrenia, and this illness led to delusional beliefs.'

Five other children, who were also in the defendants' care, were also starved, the prosecution alleges.

Gordon, 35, formerly of Handsworth, Birmingham, denies five counts of child cruelty alleged to have been committed between December 2007 and May 2008.

The case was adjourned until next Wednesday.

It may be worth pointing out that they are Muslims.

That is my contribution for now.

ElRazur:

It may be worth pointing out that they are Muslims. 

That is my contribution for now.

This dont have anything to do with religion,is just a complete madness of the girl parents.

july123:

This dont have anything to do with religion,is just a complete madness of the girl parents.

It is worth mentioning.

Seriously, I think they are just evil. One of their excuse was that one of them watched his dad killed his sister or something when he was young. What a joke.

ElRazur:

It is worth mentioning.

Seriously, I think they are just evil. One of their excuse was that one of them watched his dad killed his sister or something when he was young. What a joke.

Evil run throught thier veins.