THE DEATH of a six-week-old baby will remain a mystery after a coroner said he could not be sure how she died.

Medics were unable to revive Reeman Majrashi after she was brought to a Hampshire surgery by her parents when she stopped breathing at home.

A post mortem found she had died from brain injuries inflicted by “blunt force”.

Reeman's parents were arrested on suspicion of her murder but were subsequently released without charge.

However, in recording an open verdict, coroner David Horsley said he could not be sure it was an accident and that it was a possibility that the injuries had been inflicted on purpose.

Portsmouth Coroner's Court heard how Reeman's mother Salma Abdulaziz had previously been prescribed medication after she was diagnosed with post natal depression by GPs at Manor Way Surgery in Lee-on-the-Solent.

Salma and her partner Abdullah Majrashi had moved from Saudi Arabia to Hampshire, where Abdullah was serving at HMS Collingwood in Fareham.

Medical records showed that Salma had been prescribed medication following Reeman's birth for post natal depression.

Reading from evidence gathered during the police investigation Det Sgt Lawrence Grist said that on March 13 last year Reeman had been crying all night which worried Salma, but when Abdullah left to go to work the following day baby was asleep.

However, later that day Abdullah told police how his wife had rung him ten times concerned about the baby.

Abdullah returned home and Salma told him she had performed CPR to revive Reeman who had stopped breathing.

Det Sgt Grist described how they drove the baby to Manor Surgery where staff also tried to revive her before she was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth where she was pronounced dead.

A subsequent post mortem carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Russell Delaney discovered a fracture on the back of Reeman's head, and bruising to her scalp. They also discovered rib fractures.

He said the baby's brain had a “moderate” degree of swelling relating to an acute lack of oxygen and that head injuries were consistent with a “blunt force” hitting her head, and the rib injuries were consistent squeezing or gripping.

Her parents were then arrested but later released. The couple have since moved back to Saudi Arabia and were not present at the inquest but represented by lawyers.

Coroner Horsley told the inquest in Portsmouth that although there was sufficient medical evidence that pointed to a blunt force injury, the police investigation did not substantiate how they had occurred.

In recording an open verdict he said: “I cannot conclude the death was as a result of an accident. It is hard for me to prove she has been killed on purpose, and because of this I am recording an open conclusion.”

Hampshire police told the Daily Echo how there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution after liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service.

A spokesman for the CPS said that the case was unable to meet the criminal standard that an unlawful act had occurred to cause the death.

A statement read: “Although the injuries were severe the severity of the injury was not in itself sufficient to establish that an unlawful act had occurred.

"This was confirmed by the expert opinion which indicated that an accidental cause for the skull fracture could not be ruled out.

"After careful consideration of all available evidence we concluded the there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction on any criminal charge relating to this tragic death.”

Serious Case Review

THE CIRCUMSTANCES in which Reeman died were the subject of a Serious Case Review.

Published at the end of last year the report details how Salma was suffering from post natal depression but that her husband told medical staff he thought that she was just homesick.

However, she did attend both her surgery and A&E in the weeks before Reeman's death with symptoms including fatigue, shortness of breath and palpitations.

The report outlines how Salma's care was hampered due to an inability to arrange an interpreter as she did not speak English. It was her husband who acted as an interpreter which the report concludes did not enable professionals to speak directly to the mother about how she was feeling.

Medical evidence showed how Salma attended the surgery in February in pain having apparently fallen down the stairs.

The report says: “Domestic abuse was not apparently considered and would anyway have been very difficult to explore whilst father was acting as an interpreter.”

The report said that despite the recommendations made there was nothing in the investigation that showed professionals could have foreseen the tragic death of the baby.