An Indian-origin couple has been accused of deliberately starving their three-year-old daughter to death, a London court was told this week.

Manpreet Jatana, 34, and Jaskiret Singh Uppal, 36, appeared at the Old Bailey criminal court on Tuesday charged with the murder of their daughter, Penelope Chandrie. The pair also face charges of manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of a child, and child neglect, according to PTI.

The prosecution said Jatana and Uppal neglected and mistreated their daughter “over an extended period of time” and had “deliberately starved” her, which led to her death.

Penelope Chandrie’s body was discovered in December 2023 after emergency services were called to a property on Pennine Way in Hayes, west London. Officers found the child “very emaciated” and wrapped in a sheet. A post-mortem confirmed she died from severe malnutrition.

Pathological findings suggested “starvation over a prolonged period of many months culminating in fatal ketoacidosis,” the prosecution said.

The court was told the family’s vegetarian diet mainly consisted of yoghurt, lentils and butter, and investigators found the home in poor condition at the time of the child’s death.

Prosecutors alleged that the restrictive diet and neglectful environment were key factors in the toddler’s deteriorating health.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers attended the address on December 17, 2023, following reports of a deceased child. The death was treated as suspicious, prompting a lengthy investigation to be launched.

Last month, after nearly two years of inquiries, Jatana and Uppal were arrested and formally charged. “Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), both people have been charged with murder in connection with the girl’s death,” police said in a statement.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Lynn Tayton remanded the couple in custody. They will return to court on December 16 to enter pleas, which will decide if the case moves to sentencing or a jury trial. Reporting restrictions remain until then.

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With inputs from PTI