In a shocking case from the United Kingdom, a new mother is accused of prioritizing personal indulgence over her infant’s critical health needs, allegedly leading to the child’s death. Sarah Ngaba, 32, reportedly delayed taking her severely injured 7-week-old daughter, Eliza, to the hospital. Instead, she allegedly took time to pamper herself and purchase a lottery ticket, actions that possibly contributed to the tragic outcome.
Ngaba has admitted to inflicting “life-shortening and life-limiting” injuries on her daughter. She has pled guilty to infanticide, hoping to avoid a murder conviction, as reported by the BBC.
Eliza succumbed to a respiratory infection at the age of 2, a consequence of a severe skull fracture sustained when she was an infant. The injury, which allegedly resulted from being shaken, left her disabled and highly susceptible to infections.
During Sarah Ngaba’s criminal trial, Prosecutor Jonas Hankin presented details of the alleged neglect and abuse that occurred just weeks after Eliza’s birth. He recounted the events leading up to the hospitalization, painting a picture of a mother whose actions may have severely compromised her child’s health.
On the morning of November 13, 2019, after allegedly abusing her daughter, Ngaba engaged in a video call. A witness on the call noticed that Eliza was visibly unwell, describing her body as “shaking.” Despite advice to seek immediate medical attention, Ngaba reportedly delayed, opting to bathe first and plan for a taxi ride instead of calling for an ambulance, according to Hankin’s account.
The witness advised Ngaba to take the ailing baby to a hospital, but the new mom dragged her feet, insisting that she needed to take a bath and would call a taxi rather than an ambulance, Hankin recounted.
When Ngaba rang for a taxi at 8:13 a.m., the company told her no one would be available until 8:50 a.m., which she ultimately “settled” for with little fuss, Hankin said.
Ngaba also popped into a nearby supermarket and purchased a lottery ticket at 8:59 a.m. She and Eliza entered the taxi at 9:05 a.m., the prosecutor said.
Hankin alleged that the mom “did not even rush” when she arrived at the hospital, even though attending nurses noted that her baby was “in a state of collapse,” The Telegraph reported.
The complex skull fracture Eliza sustained left her “pale, unresponsive, gasping and having seizures,” Hankin said.
Beyond her shocking injuries, Ngaba allegedly told a nurse that her daughter had not been fed since 5 a.m. and gave the relaxed impression “that Eliza was simply unwell.” She also made no note of the apparent physical trauma the infant sustained.
Medical staff later concluded that Eliza’s injuries were caused by forceful shaking, “together with a very significant impact” to the head.
Ngaba’s defense has tried to assert that she was in a state of postpartum mental disturbance tied to her recent childbirth, which the prosecution shot down.
“The prosecution says that when the evidence is looked at carefully, the true picture is not one of a childbirth-related disturbance of mind – it is one of anger, frustration, resentment and a loss of self-control,” Hankin told the jury.
Ngaba was initially sentenced to 14 years in prison for Eliza’s assault in November 2020. She was charged with Eliza’s murder in February 2025.
