Parents Charged With Murder of Three Month Old Baby in North London

Two parents have appeared in court charged with the murder of their three month old son, who died after suffering what prosecutors described as unsurvivable head injuries at their home in north London.

Adam Essid died in hospital days after emergency services were called to a property on Kingsway in North Finchley on 30 January. Paramedics and police attended the address at 11:34 GMT following reports that the baby had sustained serious injuries.

According to the prosecution, Adam suffered severe trauma including bleeding on the brain and multiple skull fractures affecting both sides and the top of his head. Emergency first aid was administered at the scene before he was rushed to hospital. Despite medical efforts, he later died at Great Ormond Street Hospital on 17 February.

His mother, Dounia Chetaouat, 32, of Kingsway, North Finchley, and father Abdelkader Essid, 44, of Clandon Gardens, Finchley, have both been charged with murder. They also face charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Chetaouat appeared before the Old Bailey on Wednesday via video link from Bronzefield prison for a preliminary hearing. Essid did not appear in court for the hearing. During proceedings, prosecutor Joel Smith KC outlined the nature of the injuries and the timeline of events leading to the infant’s death.

Judge Sarah Munro KC scheduled a plea hearing for 13 May. A provisional trial date has been set for 15 February next year at the Old Bailey. Both defendants were remanded in custody pending further hearings.

The case has shocked the local community in Finchley, where neighbours described the emergency response on the day paramedics arrived at the property. Investigators are continuing to examine medical evidence and circumstances surrounding the incident.

Causing or allowing the death of a child is a specific criminal offence in England and Wales that applies when a child dies as a result of unlawful conduct and it is proven that a responsible adult either caused the death or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it.

The court was told that emergency services acted quickly once alerted, but the extent of the injuries proved fatal. Further details are expected to emerge during the plea hearing in May and subsequent trial proceedings.

Adam’s death is being treated as a criminal matter, and reporting restrictions remain in place to ensure the integrity of the legal process. The defendants have not yet entered pleas to the charges.