Mum smothered baby to death in Birmingham home, manslaughter trial told

Mum smothered baby to death in Birmingham home, manslaughter trial told Yunus Rezaie was only 14 months old when he died - his mother, Hafiza Safi, has been accused of his manslaughter but deemed unfit to stand trial at Birmingham Crown Court A mum 'smothered' her baby son to death inside their Birmingham home, a court has been told. One-year-old Yunus Rezaie was tragically found dead on Laxey Road, in the suburb of Edgbaston, on April 16, 2022. Paramedics and police had been called by dad Abdullah Rezaie when he got home from work. Yunus' mother, Hafiza Safi, had been with him all day. A court heard on Tuesday the infant's injuries were consistent with smothering, Birmingham Live reports. It's alleged Safi killed her baby while she was mentally unwell. The 29-year-old has been charged with manslaughter - but has been deemed unfit to stand trial. The jury at Birmingham Crown Court will not be asked to decide whether Safi is guilty or not, but instead whether she was 'responsible for doing the acts' which caused Yunus's death. Opening the case prosecutor Richard Atkins KC said: "This is a tragic case. It concerns the death of a young child, Yunus Rezaie, who the prosecution say was killed by his mother, Hafiza Safi, on April 16, 2022, when he was 14 months old." The prosecutor told the court that Yunus's father left the home for work shortly after 3am that day and returned at 7.46pm. He said the only other adults present at the address throughout the day apart from Safi were her brother-in-law and a gas engineer he let into the home at 3.30pm for a 20-minute inspection. It is believed Yunus was still alive at that time. Mr Atkins said after Yunus's father came home at 7.46pm he called 999 at 7.53pm and paramedics attended within minutes. He continued: "When paramedics arrived, they found Abdullah holding Yunus in his arms in the downstairs room. Hafiza was changing the nappy of an older child in the same room. It struck the paramedics how normally she was acting. She was oblivious to what was going on around her." The prosecutor stated Yunus had a fresh 'large abrasion' above his right eye as well as bruising to his head and blood around his mouth. He added: "He asked Abdullah to put him on the floor. He immediately realised Yunus was dead and it appeared to him he had been so for some time." Mr Atkins stated rigor mortis had already set in to the boy's body. He was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital where he was formally pronounced deceased. Mr Atkins told the court that Yunus had an 'uncommon pattern' of bruising for a child which led to 'suspicions of having been caused by inflicted injuries, not accidental'. He also said there was bruising to his neck and little bleeding to his face, commonly associated with pressure being applied to the neck. While the prosecutor added that the injuries inside and outside of Yunus's mouth were 'indicative of smothering' - his mouth being covered. Mr Atkins said a pathologist concluded that his cause of death was 'interference with the mechanics of respiration', which means his airways being blocked. The home at Laxey Road was searched and bloodstained items of clothing belonging to Yunus and Safi were found in a bin in an upstairs bedroom as well as a washing basket in a downstairs bathroom. The prosecutor concluded: "It all points, I'm afraid, to Hafiza Safi having smothered or asphyxiated Yunus while alone with him during the day while mentally unwell. She was arrested and taken to a police station but wasn't mentally well enough to be interviewed. "We submit, having heard the evidence, you will be left in no doubt it was Hafiza Safi who was responsible for whatever acts led to Yunus's death." The trial continues. [Image text:] MLICE POLICE