Dubai: A housewife, who ran her flat as an unlicensed babysitting centre, has been ordered to pay Dh200,000 in blood money for causing a two-year-old girl’s death after she fell from a sofa.

The Pakistani housewife, A.M., was running babysitting services at her flat at Dubai International City when the incident occurred and the girl fell from a sofa and died in July 2015.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance handed A.M. a one-year suspended imprisonment after she was pronounced guilty of risking the girl’s life and being responsible for the death.

Prosecutors appealed the primary ruling and asked the Dubai Appeal Court to convict A.M. and punish her.

The woman pleaded not guilty and asked the appellate court to acquit her.

Presiding judge Eisa Al Sharif confirmed the one-year suspended imprisonment against A.M. and also ordered her to pay blood money to the girl’s parents.

Records said the father and mother read a babysitting advertisement on Dubizzle before they took their daughter to A.M. to take care of her while they went to work.

The defendant left the child unattended for a few minutes when she went to bring her water before the girl fell from the sofa.

The defendant was found liable for the girl’s death despite having contended before the Appeal Court that she did not risk the girl’s life.

Dubai Police’s forensic examination report said the girl’s fall caused a haemorrhage and other complications, leading to her death.

The girl’s Moroccan mother said the incident happened after they read the suspect’s advertisement on Dubizzle offering hourly babysitting services.

“She told me over the phone that she babysits children at her flat for Dh650 per month. I saw a number of kids when I visited her flat and the place was neat and had a play area. She told me that her flat was not licensed by the authorities to cater to babysitting services and that it was her private business. I agreed to bring my girl the next day from 7am to 3pm … I took my child to the defendant’s place twice in July. On that day, she forwarded me images on WhatsApp and my daughter seemed all right by 11am. At 3pm my husband and I were heading to pick up our daughter … A.M. phoned us thrice and told us to rush to her flat because our daughter was not feeling well. When we reached the place, my daughter was breathing with obvious difficulty and her eyes were closed. Her lips were pale and once she opened her eyes she called me ‘mummy’. She had a bruise on her forehead. We went to a nearby clinic where she was given oxygen.

“We rushed our daughter to a hospital. When I asked the defendant what happened, she said nothing. When my daughter was admitted to hospital, her heart had stopped. The doctor spoke to the defendant over the phone. A.M. informed the doctor that she had fed my baby a cake and milk and that she fell off the sofa 15 minutes before we arrived to pick her up. Later the defendant and her husband came to the hospital … she claimed that my daughter cried and so she put her on the sofa and went to get her water. When she returned, she realised that my girl had fallen from the sofa,” said the mother.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days.