Egypt court cuts Tunisian flight attendant’s sentence for killing daughter to 7 years

Dubai: Egypt’s Court of Cassation on Wednesday reduced the prison sentence of Tunisian flight attendant Amira Bint Hamad to seven years from 15 years for killing her young daughter Tara in New Cairo in 2023, local media reported.

The court accepted an appeal filed by her defence team, making Wednesday’s ruling final and not subject to further appeal before another criminal court.

Bint Hamad was convicted of strangling her daughter while she slept in May 2023. The earlier ruling was based on physical evidence, witness testimony and forensic reports, according to local media.

A lower court had sentenced her to 15 years in prison after convicting her of premeditated murder, a sentence that was subsequently upheld on appeal.

Her lawyer argued before the Court of Cassation that she had suffered an acute psychological disturbance at the time of the killing and challenged aspects of the initial medical assessments.

The defence said neighbours testified about her close relationship with her daughter and argued that her mental state had deteriorated temporarily.

According to her lawyer, Bint Hamad attempted to take her own life after killing her daughter, stabbing herself several times in the neck before her husband intervened. She was subsequently taken to hospital and treated in intensive care.

The defence said Bint Hamad had left her career in aviation before the killing and had become involved in what she described as energy healing and spiritual practices.