A woman from Tower Hamlets, London, has been given a suspended sentence for accidentally causing the death of her 11-year-old neighbour, Fatiha Sabrin, with poisonous gas she imported illegally to exterminate bedbugs in her flat.
Jesmin Akter, 34, brought aluminium phosphide into the UK from Italy without a license to deal with a bedbug infestation in her Tower Hamlets flat. Unaware of the deadly potential of the substance, she distributed it around her property and took her family out for 24 hours.
The aluminium phosphide reacted with moisture to create phosphine gas, a substance likened to chemical warfare agents. The gas seeped into neighbouring flats in Nida House, killing Fatiha on her 11th birthday and causing another child to be hospitalized on December 11, 2021.
Akter admitted to manslaughter by committing an unlawful act and importing a regulated substance. On Thursday, she was sentenced at the Old Bailey to two years in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Court Proceedings
Judge Alexia Durran acknowledged the bedbug problem in Akter’s block of flats, noting the landlord’s inadequate pest control measures. “The landlord had taken some action but it appears to have been rather cursory,” she said. The judge also highlighted the potential danger Akter’s actions posed, stating that bringing aluminium phosphide on a passenger flight could have caused a “catastrophic mid-air incident and put hundreds of lives at risk” if the packaging had been damaged.
Akter’s decision to scatter the pellets led to a deadly gas leak that affected several residents, including children. Fatiha’s father, Mohammed Islam, described his daughter as an “amazing, intelligent child” who was deeply missed by her family.
“Fatiha died on her 11th birthday. It is now a date that haunts her family,” Judge Durran said. “The sentence I impose will not bring Fatiha back and will seem inadequate to Fatiha’s family.”
Incident Details
Akter initially misled police by claiming she bought the substance in a shop, later admitting her mother brought it from Bangladesh to Italy. Prosecutor James Dawes KC detailed how Akter scattered the pellets in her flat to combat the bedbug issue, inadvertently releasing lethal levels of phosphine gas.
The gas levels in Fatiha’s home were estimated to be between two-and-a-half and 26 times the lethal dose. Fatiha fell ill early on December 11, complaining of vomiting and needing the toilet. Despite calls to her GP and the 111 helpline, and later emergency services, her condition rapidly deteriorated. By the time paramedics arrived for the second time, Fatiha had stopped breathing and was declared dead in the hospital just before 5pm.
Following the incident, London Fire Brigade declared a hazardous materials situation and identified the poison.
Akter’s Statement
In her statement, Akter expressed deep remorse and claimed she was unaware of the substance’s dangers. “I did not know the product contained a dangerous poison,” she said, explaining her desperation after her landlord’s failed attempts to eradicate the infestation.
Akter apologized to Fatiha’s family, acknowledging that they had “paid the price” for her actions.
