Mother slapped with 17-year prison sentence for murdering toddler

Aminath Shahidha has been slapped with a prison sentence for the murder of her four-year-old daughter.

The Criminal Court sentenced Shahidha to 17 years in prison on 22 May 2022, after having found her guilty of murdering her four-year-old daughter, six years after the murder.

During the hearing held on May 22, the judges bench issued their verdict, declaring Shahidha guilty of deliberate murder.

Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Ahmed Shakeel presided over the murder trial and the sentence was slapped on Shahidha during a hearing held on Wednesday.

Shahidha’s time has been reduced to 11 years and two months, after reducing the time she has already done in prison as a suspect.

Shahidha’s toddler was found murdered during February 2016, with stab wounds on her arms and shoulders.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) received reports of the case at around 05:40am on the night of the incident. The police desk established in the atoll launched investigations into the case immediately after they received the report.

A team from the police main headquarters in Malé as well as the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services also travelled to the island for the investigation.

According to the residents of the island, the toddler’s father was heard screaming at the mother, accusing her of murdering the child for “crying”.

The trial was kept secret until now and brought into light after the court's verdict to slap her with a long prison sentence.