Housewife spared jail after accidental death of 11-year-old neighbour from poisonous bedbug treatment
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Jesmin Akter, 34, had illegally imported aluminum phosphide from Italy to tackle an infestation in her flat at Nida House, Tower Hamlets, East London. The mother-of-two failed to read the packaging instructions before distributing a lethal amount around her apartment and then left with her family for 24 hours.
The aluminum phosphide reacted with moisture, creating phosphine gas, which is likened to chemical warfare agents. The gas seeped into neighbouring flats, killing Fatiha Sabrin on her 11th birthday and hospitalising another child on December 11, 2021.
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Hide AdAkter admitted to manslaughter by committing an unlawful act and importing a regulated substance. On Thursday (July 18), she was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Old Bailey Judge Alexia Durran acknowledged the persistent bedbug problem in Akter’s block of flats, saying: “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.”
Judge Durran highlighted the potential catastrophic risk of Akter’s decision to transport aluminum phosphide on a passenger flight from Italy, which could have endangered hundreds if the packaging had been damaged. She said: “Within a relatively short period of Akter distributing the tablets in her flat, other occupants, including children in the block, began to feel unwell.”


The judge referred to a heartfelt statement from Fatiha’s “heartbroken” father, Mohammed Islam, who described his daughter as an “amazing, intelligent child who made friends with everyone and was a great help to her mother.”
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Hide AdJudge Durran also acknowledged Akter’s previous good character and overwhelming guilt, saying: “I understand you are overwhelmed with crippling guilt. It seems highly unlikely you will ever forget that what happened to Fatiha was the result of your actions. A young life full of promise has been lost.”
The court heard that Akter had imported the aluminum phosphide from Italy without a licence on November 26, 2021. Initially, she told police she had bought the substance in a shop but later admitted her mother had brought it from Bangladesh to Italy.
After spreading the pellets to combat bedbugs, the toxic phosphine gas escaped into neighbouring flats. Prosecutor James Dawes KC said the levels of phosphine gas in Fatiha’s home were estimated to be between two-and-a-half and 26 times the known lethal dose.
Fatiha woke up at 4am on December 11, feeling unwell and vomiting. Her mother, Kaniz, called their GP, the 111 helpline, and finally 999 at 9.30am. Paramedics initially advised her to take diarrhoea medication and eat plain food. The London Fire Brigade checked for carbon monoxide poisoning but found nothing. Meanwhile, other residents began coughing, raising fears of Covid.
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Hide AdEmergency services were called again at 1.30pm as Fatiha’s condition deteriorated. Paramedics found she had stopped breathing and was unconscious at 3.30pm. She died in the hospital just before 5pm. The fire brigade declared a hazardous materials incident, and further checks identified the poison. Mr Dawes said: “Because the first attendance of London Ambulance and Fire Brigade had been done without full protective equipment, there was concern at the time as well.”
The prosecutor stated that phosphine gas is considered “on a par with chemical warfare agents” and that children are particularly vulnerable to exposure. When firefighters entered Akter’s flat, they found gray powdery residue on surfaces and in the sink. The quantity of aluminum phosphide used by Akter was nearly three times the amount recommended for commercial warehouses, not residential dwellings.
Explaining her actions, Mr Dawes said, “She used it in order to eliminate bed bugs she feared were in her flat. She stated she did not know there would be a risk of danger to her neighbours by using aluminum phosphide. She did, having put out the poison, take her family out of her flat for 24 hours.”
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Hide AdMr Dawes noted that Akter had expressed “deep remorse” and had attempted to help the victim, not knowing she had caused her illness. In a handwritten statement, Akter said she obtained the “anti-bedbug” product on her family’s advice but did not read the packaging.
She said she “did not know the product contained a dangerous poison,” adding that she was “desperate after the landlord tried and failed to get rid of the infestation.” She apologised to Fatiha’s family, acknowledging that they had “paid the price” for her actions.
The court was informed that Nida House is owned and managed by Nabiganj Investment Company Ltd, a family firm that owns 160 properties.