Aymen Lallali

Aymen Lallali died after being taken to hospital unresponsive by his parents.

His parents took him to Kingston Hospital on 13 June 2004 saying that he couldn't breathe. After arriving he was stabilised and later taken to Kings College Hospital, Camberwell. However, he died five days later from massive head injuries when doctors turned off his life support system.

At the time his parents had lived at 107 Blenheim Gardens, Kingston.

Hospital staff later alerted the police when they became suspicious that Aymen Lallali had been a victim of shaken baby syndrome.

His parents were arrested and released on bail in relation to his death but fled the country.

They were Algerian and it was thought that they had gone back to Algeria. The police said they were certain that they had a case but because the UK didn't have an extradition agreement with Algeria there was nothing that they could do to bring them back.

At Aymen Lallali's inquest, the Coroner returned a verdict of unlawful killing. The cause of death was said to have been a head injury caused by violent shaking or forceful rotating of the head. Rib fractures that Aymen Lallali was found to have were said to have probably been caused by severe squeezing of his chest.

When the father had brought Aymen Lallali into the hospital he was said to have been frantic and trying to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He later told a sister in the paediatric unit that he had been rocking Aymen Lallali because he had been crying and that he had started vomiting and had then gone floppy.

The staff at the hospital said that Aymen Lallali's father was always there and appeared concerned and had been asking appropriate questions but said that after they had carried out a CT scan and an eye examination they had become suspicious that his death was not accidental and felt that Aymen Lallali's injuries didn't match the explanation that the father had given. They said that they found extensive tearing and severe retinal trauma. Following an x-ray, they also found that he had fractured ribs that were about 3-4 weeks old. The staff said that it appeared as though the father sensed that he had been responsible for Aymen Lallali's injuries.

When both the parents were questioned they had both said that neither of them had left Aymen Lallali alone with anyone.

Both the parents had spent the first four days with Aymen Lallali at the hospital but on the 17 June 2004 they went home and the next day their solicitors went to the hospital but were thrown out after behaving intrusively. The staff said that after that the parents didn't come back to the hospital and only rang for updates.

Doctors said that they decided to turn off Aymen Lallali's life support system on 18 June and asked his parents if they wanted to come in for it but said that they refused, which they said they found shocking. They said that after they switched off Aymen Lallali's life support system no one came in for his belongings. They said that the next thing they knew was that Aymen Lallali's parents had left the country.

The Coroner said 'He was taken into Kingston Hospital unarousable by his father on 13 June 2004. He was resuscitated and transferred to Kings College Hospital where it became clear that he had suffered an acute injury. Despite active treatment his condition did not improve and he died on 18 June 2004. I'm satisfied the evidence before me shows that this was not an accidental matter.'.

Aymen Lallali was born on 22 January 2004 when his parents were in Aberdeen but soon after they moved to London where the father took up a job with BP in Sunbury.