Accusd baby killer called Great Ormond Street ‘a hospital of white supremacy’ as doctors there tried to save the child’s life

An accused baby killer called Great Ormond Street ‘a hospital of white supremacy’ and threatened to live stream police on TikTok when they tried to arrest her, a court heard.

Three-month-old Kaylani Kalanzi died from being violently shaken after being caught in the middle of her parents’ ‘mutually abusive relationship’, the Old Bailey has heard.

She has taken to hospital on 8 July last year after her parents called 999 and was transferred to Great Ormond Street where she died on 23 July 2024.

Her father, Ugandan national Herbert Kalanzi, 35, and her mother, Nazil Merthoca, 24, are accused of murdering their daughter.

The abusive relationship was ‘out of control’ and Merthoca was using drugs leading to Kaylani being put on a child protection plan before her death, the Old Bailey heard.

Merthoca was aggressive and obstructive to paramedics trying to help her daughter and later asked if she was being blamed because of her race and gender, jurors were told.

She hung up on the emergency operatator who was trying to give instructions to save the baby’s life.

Merthoca later said hospital staff were discriminating against her and called Great Ormond Street ‘a hospital of white supremacy’.

Kaylani suffered violent shaking and an impact to her head while under the care of her parents at Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat in Homerton on the evening of 8 July.

The couple both deny murder and an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Jurors were told that on 9 July 2024 police attempted to call Merthoca after hospital staff had raised concerns.

Merthoca told them ‘why the f*ck are you calling me, who gave you my number? I am not at home smash the door in if you want’.

Police then went to Merthoca’s grandmother’s flat and arrested the couple who were in their car outside.

When police went to the car door Merthoca, who could be seen in the car with long false nails, told them: ‘You’re not gonna grab me, I’m gonna put it on TikTok live.’

She said she was on her way to the hospital.

When told they were being arrested for attempted murder, Kalanzi remained calm, allowed police to cuff him and answered questions but Merthoca refused to get out of the car.

She told police: ‘Why do I need to be in a cell I haven’t done anything. I’m going to go to jail for attempted murder I didn’t do.

‘I called the ambulance because she wasn’t breathing, no one attempted to kill her.

‘If anyone else called the ambulance and said something about their children they wouldn’t be arrested. I pay my taxes to use your services.

‘I called the ambulance, I didn’t do anything, I did CPR. You’re ruining everything.

‘I don’t know how you can arrest me like this, I haven’t done anything, I don’t feel like I should be locked up in a room. You’ve made this decision on propaganda not facts.

‘I haven’t attempted to murder my child, I swear on the holy Quran I haven’t. Why would you say that?’

She refused to get out of the car saying the officers were going to throw her on the floor.

Merthoca eventually got out and was taken to the police station where she was interviewed at 5am the next morning.

She told the interviewing officer she had been wrongly accused.

The mother said she called the ambulance because Kaylani would not stop crying and was restless.

‘I realised she’d scratched herself in the eye she had sharp nails, she scratched her eye like this as well two weeks ago. She wears mittens but a couple of fingers were out.

‘I realised my child was staring to become unconscious and unwell. I went on YouTube and did CPR.’

She said she then called the ambulance.

The mother said she was shocked when hospital staff found a bleed on the brain.

‘It hurts me a lot as a mother for someone could think I could do that to my child.’

When asked if she was lying to protect her partner she said: ‘No I’m not protecting Herbert, I’m not lying for Herbert. I don’t think Herbert would ever hurt my child.’

She said premature babies might have brain injuries for reasons other than an injury to the head.

Merthoca accused the interviewing officer of shouting at her and then accused him of being a ‘woman beater’.

She said: ‘This is a man using his sex against me, using his manly voice against me, he wants to intimidate me as the woman beater he probably is.’

Merthoca added:‘What’s your problem, do you want to eat me alive, do I look that nice?

‘I’m not guilty of doing anything to my child, why do you want me to be guilty so bad?

‘I believe in God, I’m not an antichrist, I don’t believe in LGBT and I don’t believe your lies.’

The couple, of East Ham, both deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial continues.