Recorded events in the final year of Birmingham girl Khyra Ishaq, who starved to death at her home in Handsworth.
Her mother Angela Gordon and stepfather Junaid Abuhamza admitted manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.
March 16, 2007 – Gordon writes to the school and asks the staff to make sure that none of the children receive second helpings of food. There is also a meeting at school where Gordon is told that Khyra has been caught stealing food.
September 2007 – Junaid Abuhamza moves into the family home. Gordon writes to the school again asking them not to overfeed the children. She says that her son cannot be given chocolate milk because he has eczema.
November 2007 – Gordon has another meeting with the school and is told about concerns over food and Khyra’s petty thefts. Gordon says she has sent Khyra to school in wet pants before as a punishment for wetting them.
December 6, 2007 – Khyra attends school for the last time.
December 17, 2007 – Three more of the six children are withdrawn from school and are confined to one room for the next five months. They have limited contact with anyone, are fed from a shared bowl, sleep on one mattress and suffered numerous “punishments” and beatings at the hands of Abuhamza and Gordon.
February 2008 – Gordon accuses Polish neighbours of feeding Khyra bread. She was, in fact, taking bread that was left for the birds. Khyra is made to sleep downstairs in the back room, on her own, in the cold, with no blankets. She was caught trying to turn on a heater and was hit with a stick.
March 2008 – Gordon abandoned any attempts to teach the children at all.
April 2008 – Khyra and another sibling are caught stealing peanut butter and were force fed chocolate spread and peanut butter until they were sick.
May 11, 2008 – Six days before her death, Khyra’s head is shaved because she is pulling it out in chunks because of malnutrition.
Thursday May 16, 2008 – Khyra was put in “detention” and made to stand in front of a cold fan with her hands on her head. After one hour she leans against a painted wall and is beaten with a cane. Khyra remained unconscious from early afternoon.
Friday May 17, 2008 – Khyra remains unconscious and is suffering from pneumonia and meningitis. Abuhamza and Gordon enjoy a takeaway and give the scraps to the children who are in the same room as Khyra. Khyra dies overnight.
Saturday May 18, 2008 - Gordon calls ambulance to home in Handsworth. Later that day she sends an extraordinary text message to her own mother. It said: “Khyra died this morning. I am going to be questioned”.
