Man who admitted murdering stepdaughter (5) tells judge he ‘loved her like a best friend’

A man who admitted murdering his five-year old stepdaughter today told a senior judge he loved the child and they were “like two best friends.”

Abdul Wahab broken down in tears as he told Mr Justice O’Hara that Nadia Zofia Kalinowska – who was killed in her Newtownabbey home in December 2019 – “loved me and called me ‘my dear Papa.'”

The 35-year old and his 29-year old wife Aleksandra Wahab appeared at Belfast Crown Court today for a plea hearing centring on Nadia’s death.

The emergency services were called to the family’s home at Fernagh Drive in the early hours of December 15, 2019.

The youngster was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital and despite medical intervention, she was pronounced dead at 3.40am.

The cause of her death was due to a skull fracture which lead to bleeding on the brain as well as abdominal bleeding from injuries to her liver and bowel.

Nadia had also sustained fractures and re-fractures to her ribs, a fractured collarbone and a fractured pelvis.

Also present at Nadia’s time of death were 70 surface injuries including bruising and abrasions.

This led the Crown to conclude that Nadia had been subjected to a campaign of physical abuse in the family home which culminated in her death.

Abdul Wahab pleaded guilty in January this year to murdering his step-daughter and was handed a Life Sentence.

The Pakistani national also admitted causing the youngster grievous bodily harm with intent in an attack on a date between December 11 and 15, 2019, as well as carrying out a campaign of assaults against her on dates between July 1 and December 14, 2019.

Nadia’s mother Aleksandra Wahab, who is originally from Poland, pleaded guilty to an ‘alternative’ charge to murder – namely causing or allowing the death of her daughter.

She also admitted a charge of causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm on a date between December 11 and 15, 2019, and of allowing Nadia to suffer over a period from July 1 and December 14, 2019.

When arrested, both Mr and Mrs Wahab denied assaulting the child and claimed the injuries were accidental – a claim branded as “preposterous” by Crown barrister Liam McCollum KC.

He said it was the Crown’s case that “either both of them were involved or that one of them had actually assaulted and killed Nadia and the other had done nothing to prevent such assaults or to help Nadia in these times of grave danger.”

The senior barrister told Mr Justice O’Hara many of the non-fatal injuries were caused by “blunt force trauma”, they would have caused “very significant pain” and that Nadia would have been in “obvious distress.”

Saying neither parent sought medical assistance prior to her death, Mr McCollum said: “The prosecution case was that Nadia was killed in the early hours of December 15th.

“These extensive fractures and injuries were caused by deliberate infliction of violence upon her.”

Abdul Wahab – who has dismissed two legal teams – represented himself at today’s hearing.

After he was asked by Mr Justice O’Hara if he wanted to say anything, Wahab requested an additional four weeks to allow him to obtain further legal representation.

This was refused by the Judge, who reminded Wahab that he pleaded guilty to murder on January 19th.

Wahab then tearfully said: “I met Nadia personally in 2016 and that was a very happy moment for me. My life was full of happiness with her.

“We were like two best friends and she always smiled and she always laughed and she was the best child.

“Since I have lost her I have lost a piece of myself. I really loved her. She always loved me, she always called me ‘my dear Papa.’

“I was very happy when she started going to school and I has dreams for her, My Lord.”

Following this, barrister John Kearney KC – representing Aleksandra Wahab – said there was no evidence to suggest his client had assaulted her daughter.

Rather, he said her plea to the charge of causing or allowing Nadia’s death was an acknowledgement that “she did not do what she should have done” and that she didn’t adequately protect her.

Saying it was her instructions that she was not the victim of domestic abuse or coercive control from her husband, Mr Kearney spoke of her clear criminal record.

The barrister said there was a “clear bond” between mother and daughter and that the night Nadia died, Aleksandra Wahab was “distraught … crying and wailing.”

He also pointed out she has been in custody for three-and-a-half years and that during that period she gave birth to her third child, who was “removed from her.”

After listening to submissions from the Crown, defence and from Abdul Wahab, Mr Justice O’Hara said: “I will pass sentence in this court on Wednesday the 21st of June.”

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