Two arrested over murder of three-year-old Coventry girl

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Police have arrested two people on suspicion of murder following the death of a three-year-old girl from Coventry.

Mariam Alam was taken to hospital on November 30 last year and a post-mortem examination revealed the Foleshill girl died as a result of a head injury.

In January, a 34-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested and later released on bail.

On Thursday morning, a 35-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of murder.

They are currently helping police with their enquiries.

Anyone with information should call Coventry Public Protection Unit on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Mariam Alam death: Pair released on bail

Two people arrested in connection with the death of a three-year-old girl in Coventry have been released on bail.

Mariam Alam died as a result of a head injury, post-mortem tests revealed.

A 35-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were arrested on Thursday, but have been bailed pending further enquiries.

Police are appealing for an anonymous caller who provided information about the girl's death to get back in touch with them.

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Police wait on crucial reports into death of Foleshill toddler



Police investigating the death of a three-year-old girl in Foleshill say they are waiting on crucial medical reports before deciding how to move forward.

Mariam Alam, of Fisher Road, Foleshill, died on November 30 last year after collapsing in the street.

A post-mortem examination showed she died as a result of a head injury.

In January, police arrested a 34-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman who were both later released on bail.

New information led to two more people being arrested on suspicion of murder last month. A man, aged 35, and a woman, 32, are currently on bail.

A spokesman for Coventry Police said that the pair remain on bail while police await the results of important tests.

Forensic reports and medical reports are likely to be presented to police in the near future.

Det Insp Chris Hanson, from Coventry Public Protection Unit, said police were still also keen to speak to an anonymous caller who rang the force in January.

They say information from the caller could be “crucial” to the investigation.

Neighbours told the Telegraph that three-year-old Mariam was “absolutely adorable”.

She had been walking down Fisher Road when she collapsed. She was taken to hospital but she died later that day.

Last month Det Insp Hanson said: “We are following up a number of lines of inquiry but I am directly appealing to the person who made the call to us on January 9 to please get back in touch.

“I believe that this person, or indeed anyone else in the community, could hold crucial information which would assist this inquiry.

"Any incident where a child’s life is lost in suspicious circumstances understandably causes concern in the community and we will continue with this investigation until we have been able to fully establish how and why Mariam died.”

Coventry Police released details of Mariam’s death in March, days after four-year-old Daniel Pelka, of Holbrooks, died.

His mother and her partner are facing charges of murder.

Anyone with information about Mariam should call Det Insp Hanson on 024 7653 9044 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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One year on, police re-appeal for info on tragic toddler death

DETECTIVES investigating the mystery case of a Coventry toddler found with fatal head injuries a year ago are re-appealing for information on the first anniversary of her death.

Three-year-old Mariam Alam died in hospital on 30 November 2011 after ambulance crew were called to the youngster’s aunt’s house in Fisher Road, Foleshill.

A 35-year-old man and two women, aged 32 and 25, were arrested and later bailed but to date no-one has been charged over her death.

CCTV footage showing Mariam and her mother entering the nearby Lidl store has been released for the first time as West Midlands Police’s sustained bid for answers continues.

And officers will today (Nov 6) be handing out appeal leaflets – translated into several languages – in the local area and speaking to neighbours and passers-by in the hope of jogging people’s memories.

Detectives are sure members of the local community have information that can help progress the enquiry.

And they’re specifically appealing for an anonymous male caller, who phoned police on January 9 this year with information that led to two arrests, to get back in touch with the enquiry team.

Detective Inspector Chris Hanson from Coventry Police’s Public Protection Department said: “To lose a child in such circumstances is unimaginable. This was always going to be a distressing and complex case for all involved but despite a number of initially positive lines of inquiry, one year on we are yet to fully understand what happened to Mariam or bring anyone to justice over her death.

“Someone out there knows what happened to Mariam and I’m convinced answers lie in the local community. That’s why, 12 months on, I’m appealing to anyone with information – no matter how insignificant it may seem – about Mariam or what happened to her on the day she died to come forward.

“I am keen to understand where Mariam was, what she was doing and who she was with in the minutes between leaving Lidl and becoming critically ill.

“Someone may have even overheard a conversation in which people revealed details on the case which never appeared in the media.

“And I’d particularly urge the person who called us anonymously on 9 January to get back in touch.”

The CCTV footage shows Mariam wearing a red flowery dress, white tights and a pink coat walking in front of her mother as they enter Lidl in John Wigley Way at 1pm.

They can be seen leaving five minutes later – but at around 1.20pm paramedics were called to the address in Fisher Road after the child collapsed. Despite the best efforts of medics, the toddler couldn’t be saved.

Anyone with information should call Det Insp Hanson on 101. Alternatively, people who do not want to speak with police officers directly can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Three charged with perverting course of justice after death of Mariam Alam

Three people have been charged with perverting the course of justice over the death of a three year-old girl in Coventry.

Police said the charges related to information given to officers at the time of Mariam's death.

West Midlands Police said a 35 year-old man and two women aged 26 and 33 would appear before Coventry Magistrates' Court on 22 March.

The force said officers were continuing to investigate the circumstances into Mariam's death.

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Foleshill mum in court accused of 'cover-up' over death of daughter, 3

A MUM has appeared in court accused of covering up the death of her three-year-old daughter.

Two neighbours are also jointly accused of covering up details surrounding the death of Mariam Alam, of Fisher Road, Foleshill, died as a result of a serious head injury in 2011.

All three appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court yesterday charged with perverting the course of justice.

Mariam’s mother Saima Bashir, 26, of Fisher Road, Foleshill, Kaman Khalid, 35, formerly of Fisher Road but now of Holbrook Lane, Holbrooks, and his estranged wife Razwanah Yousef, 33, also of Fisher Road, spoke only to confirm their names and addresses during the hearing. No-one has ever been prosecuted over Mariam’s death.

Gez Newsome, prosecuting, said: “This is a matter that can only be dealt with by the crown court.

“Therefore on behalf of the crown I apply that this case is heard by Coventry Crown Court.”

All three defendants are accused of obstructing the police’s investigation into Mariam’s death.

Mr Newsome told the court that Khalid is accused of erasing CCTV and disposing evidence.

Yousef, his estranged wife, is accused of helping him concoct an alibi while Bashir, Mariam’s mother, is accused of giving misleading information to police.

No indication of how the defendants intend to plea was given during the hearing. The defendants were released on conditional bail, and must spend each night at bail addresses agreed with the court. They have also been told not to contact each other, and to have no unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 16.

Khalid and Yousef are also not allowed to leave the UK.

Khalid, who separated from Yousef several months ago, is allowed one visit – supervised by a police officer – to an address in Fisher Road to collect his belongings.

Chairman of the magistrates bench, Su Symonds, sent the case to Coventry Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on July 12.

She said: “You must attend this hearing. If you do not you will be committing an offence under the bail act.”

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Police arrest man on suspicion of murdering three-year-old Mariam Alam

Police swooped on an address in Coventry in the early hours of this morning and arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of three-year-old Mariam Alam.

The toddler – who lived with her parents in Fisher Road, Foleshill – died as a result of a serious head injury in November 2011.

Now, 19 months after her death, a man aged 34 has been arrested and charged with her murder.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at crown court on Thursday.

The arrest comes after a lengthy investigation into the toddler’s death that has already seen three people charged with perverting the course of justice , including the child’s mother.

In the early stages mystery surrounded Mariam’s death, and police only released details in March last year.

Speaking at the time, Det Insp Chris Hanson said: “At that stage paramedics did not know why she had collapsed. There was no obvious trauma or injuries.

“At first it was treated as an unexplained death. We were unsure what had caused her to collapse, sometimes children can suddenly and unexpectedly become ill due to an infection or an underlying undiagnosed medical condition.”

But the investigation took a turn when the post mortem examination – carried out as a matter of routine when a small child dies unexpectedly – found out that Mariam died as a result of a significant head injury.

To mark 12 months after the youngster’s death, police issued CCTV footage of the little girl skipping through a nearby supermarket to buy sweets minutes before she died.

Leaflets in English, Punjabi and Urdi were also posted through letterboxes of homes in the Foleshill area as part of the public appeal.

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Kamran Khalid denies murder of Mariam Alam

A man has denied murdering a three-year-old girl almost two years ago.

Mariam Alam, from Foleshill, Coventry, died in hospital after paramedics were called to her aunt's home on Fisher Road on 30 November.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died from head injuries.

Kamran Khalid, 35, of Holbrook Lane, Coventry, appeared at Warwick Crown Court. He pleaded not guilty to murder, but admitted perverting the course of justice.

He was remanded in custody and is next due to appear on 21 November.

Two women, Saima Bashir, 26, and Razwanah Yousef, 33, have also admitted perverting the course of justice.

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Murder charge against Kamran Khalid dropped



A man accused of murdering a three-year-old girl in Coventry has had the charge against him dropped.

Mariam Alam, from Foleshill, died in hospital after paramedics were called to her aunt's home in Fisher Road in November 2011.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Kamran Khalid, from Holbrook Lane, denied murder. The Crown offered no evidence so the charge was dropped.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to child cruelty.

He has also previously admitted perverting the course of justice, along with two other women.

The three will be sentenced at a later date.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mariam died from head injuries.

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Three sentenced for child death cover-up


Khalid (l) was jailed for 34 months, Bashir and Yousef (r) were given 18 month suspended prison sentences

Three people have been sentenced for trying to cover up the death of a three-year-old girl in Coventry.

Mariam Alam died after suffering a head injury at the home of Kamran Khalid in Foleshill on 30 November 2011.

The girl's mother, Saima Bashir, Khalid and his wife Razwanah Yousef all pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Birmingham Crown Court.

Khalid was jailed for 34 months and the two women were given 18-month suspended prison sentences on Wednesday.

A murder charge against Khalid, 36, of Holbrook Lane, Holbrooks, was dropped due to lack of evidence but he admitted child cruelty for failing to get Mariam emergency medical treatment.

Bashir, 27, and Yousef, 34, both from Fisher Road in Foleshill, had their jail sentences suspended for two years.

Det Ch Insp Chris Hanson said: "The whole investigation team has been shocked by the cold and cynical way family and friends have tried to cover up Mariam's death... because of their lies we still don't know exactly how Mariam received the head injury that killed her.

"It's highly frustrating we were unable to prove precisely what happened to Mariam but, ultimately, we can only go as far as the evidence takes us.

"I just hope that Mariam can now rest in peace."