Punch thrown by half-brother precipitated deadly mind harm, inquest hears

There is ‘no doubt’ a punch thrown by the older brother of 11-year-old girl could have caused her fatal brain injury, an inquest heard today.

Falaq Babar died in hospital more than three weeks after being found on the bathroom floor of her family home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Her half-brother Suhail Mohammed, 23, had texted his girlfriend Sahar Fiaz saying he had ‘punched’ and ‘killed’ Falaq ‘in the heat of the moment.’

He didn’t phone for an ambulance until 23 minutes later when she fell ill and lost consciousness.

Mr Mohammed was subsequently arrested and detectives believed there was enough evidence for him to be charged with manslaughter. But the inquest heard the Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute, partly due to ‘complex medical evidence’ about whether Falaq may have had an ‘underlying’ health condition.

Falaq Babar (pictured) died in hospital on March 18, 2023, after she was found on the bathroom floor of her family home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester

Her half-brother Suhail Mohammed pictured outside Rochdale Coroner’s Court on Wednesday

Giving evidence on Thursday, neuropathologist Dr Daniel du Plessis, who examined Falaq’s brain, said she had suffered a ‘very rare’ type of brain bleed.

It was ‘clear’ from CT scans that her posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), one of three main blood vessels to the cerebellum, had become ‘overstretched’ and ruptured, he added.

Dr du Plessis said it was usual for such ruptures to have a ‘traumatic cause.’ But he said he couldn’t be sure if a punch had caused the injury because there was no evidence that Falaq’s body had begun to heal or initiate a ‘repair response,’ as would be expected in someone who lived for several weeks afterwards.

He said it was possible that Falaq had a ‘pre-existing, naturally occurring lesion’ on the blood vessel, which meant it was weaker than usual, and a simple rise in blood pressure caused it to rupture.

Coroner Joanne Kearsley, who is overseeing the inquest, in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, pointed out that Mr Mohammed had ‘acknowledged’ his sister had accidentally hit her head, either on the door or wall of the bathroom.

She said it was up to the court to also consider the ‘alternative trauma’ that Falaq had been punched and asked Dr du Plessis if, given the timeframe, trauma ‘more likely than not’ had played a part in her death.

‘If it was accepted there was a traumatic event that close to her deteriorating, I would favour some sort of trauma,’ Dr du Plessis said.

‘There’s no doubt a punch, an assault, punches to the head that don’t cause any fracture, can cause this (rupture).

‘That’s probably the most common situation I deal with. But there are very rare examples where someone has accidentally fallen.’

Mr Mohammed (left) texted his girlfriend Sahar Fiaz (right) saying he had ‘punched’ and ‘killed’ Falaq ‘in the heat of the moment.’ Ms Fiaz told the court she had never discussed what happened on February 20, 2022 with Mr Mohammed, but insisted she didn’t believe he had punched his sister

Dr du Plessis said an ‘alternative possibility’ was that Falaq had ‘a pre-existing, naturally occurring lesion’ which weakened the blood vessel. This may then have ruptured when her blood pressure rose due to ‘anxiety, distress or pain’, the medic added.

Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb said Falaq’s cause of death as severe hypoxic ischemic brain injury with brain swelling.

The inquest is being held after an earlier hearing in November was abandoned so police could investigate ‘new evidence.’

At that hearing, Mr Mohammed described using his shoulder and elbow to ‘barge’ his way through the bathroom door, which was stuck, to get to his sister inside. The door was left with a hole in one panel and cracks to the inside.

Crime scene investigators found the bathroom door opened easily and no evidence it had been bolted shut.

Mr Mohammed said he found Falaq on the floor and soon afterwards texted his girlfriend Ms Fiaz: ‘I’ve killed Falaq.’

She replied: ‘WDYM (what do you mean)’, before Mr Mohammed then said: ‘I punched her in the head.’

Ms Fiaz told the court she had never discussed what happened on February 20, 2022 with Mr Mohammed, but insisted she didn’t believe he had punched his sister.

The inquest heard analysis of the 999 call Mr Mohammed subsequently made. He could be heard speaking to family members in the background, urging them to not ‘make big deal’ of the incident, adding: ‘Don’t tell, don’t disclose’.

Falaq was taken to hospital and died on March 18.

Mr Mohammed was arrested on suspicion of assault and initially told police his sister must have hit her head when he forced his way into the bathroom. He later refused to answer questions in subsequent interviews after the text messages were discovered on his mobile phone.

He also refused to answer questions at the inquest earlier this week.

Mr Mohammed (pictured)refused to answer questions at the inquest earlier this week

Suhail Mohammed (left) leaves court with Falaq’s mother Shazia Bi (right)

Falaq’s parents would not allow officers to speak to her younger siblings, aged five and seven, who witnessed the bathroom incident.

Addressing Falaq’s family, Ms Kearsley said she would ‘take some time’ to decide whether Falaq was punched and that unlawful killing was one verdict she was considering.

The inquest is scheduled to conclude tomorrow.