Family ‘haunted’ as daughter dies on 11th birthday after ‘paying the price’ when neighbour tried to get rid of bedbugs

A woman has been spared from serving jail time after she accidentally killed her 11-year-old neighbour’s daughter with illegally imported poison gas.

Jesmin Akter, 34, was suffering from a bedbug infestation in her flat in Tower Hamlets, east London.

To combat the issue, she purchased imported aluminium phosphide from Italy and distributed it around her family’s home before leaving for 24 hours.

However, the mother-of-two failed to read the packaging on the substance and ended up distributing a deadly amount, which eventually seeped into neighbouring flats.

Jesmin Akter illegally imported gas from Italy. (PA)

The result of the accident saw 11-year-old Fatha Sabrin being killed on her 11th birthday, while another child in the block was admitted to hospital on December 11, 2021.

After admitting to manslaughter by committing an unlawful act and importing a regulated substance on July 18, Akter was told she would be sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years plus 150 hours of unpaid work.

Regarding the sentencing, Old Bailey Judge Alexia Durran said: "The landlord had taken some action but it appears to have been rather cursory and the employees used to carry out the fumigation in the past do not appear to have been well trained or trained at all.”

Fatiha Sabrin tragically died on her 11th birthday. (Handout)

She also said that Akter’s decision to deal with the issue by purchasing aluminium phosphide and having her mother travel with it on a flight from Italy could have caused a ‘catastrophic mid-air incident and put hundreds of lives at risk’ if the packaging had been compromised.

Judge Durran also noted Akter’s previous character in court and said that she understood the ‘crippling guilt’ the housewife was now experiencing.

“It seems highly unlikely you will ever forget what happened to Fatiha was the result of your actions,” she continued.

The Aluminium Phosphide fumigation tablets killed the 11-year-old. (PA)

“A young life full of promise has been lost.”

It’s said that after Akter has distributed the illegal gas, the schoolgirl woke up and complained to her mother that she needed the toilet on the morning of December 11.

When paramedics arrived on the scene, they advised Sabrin should take diarrhoea medication and eat plain.

However, the child fell unconscious at 3.30pm and died less than two hours later in hospital.

In a statement released by Sabrin’s family, they claimed they were ‘continuing to feel the loss’ of the child every day and that she had been taken from them ‘unexpectedly’ and in a ‘very cruel way’.

The family of the child claimed she'd died in a 'very cruel way'. (PA)

Detective Inspector Aytac Necati, of Scotland Yard, said: “When Akter used the poison in her flat, she did so illegally.

“This was a terrible and reckless decision that resulted in a number of people becoming ill. It had fatal consequences for Fatiha.

“People encountering pest control problems should always seek professional advice or, if they are using commercially available products, they should read and follow the instructions carefully.”