Shamima Begum's Child Death Was "Perfectly Avoidable", Says Former Met Chief

9 March 2019, 13:55 | Updated: 9 March 2019, 13:57

A former Police chief who has supported the Begum family after the schoolgirl fled to Syria says they are "devastated" to hear that her three-week-old baby has died.

Speaking to Matt Frei, the former Met chief superintendent Dal Babu said that Shamima Begum's child was "innocent" amid a row over whether the Isis bride should be allowed to return to the UK.

Dal Babu, who has been supporting the family since Shamima Begum fled to Syria, said he believed the schoolgirl was groomed and that "we failed her" when she fled to Syria to join the terrorist group.

"Jerrah was innocent in all of this," he said, adding that his death was "perfectly avoidable."

"We've got an avoidable death, and we should be having a coroners inquiry into the death of a British subject, as Jerrah was, overseas."

But when Matt put to him that without consulate services in Syria it is not easy for the government to intervene, he said: "The reality was that this is a camp and journalists were going in and out on a regular basis.

"You wouldn't have put lives at risk.

"This was an innocent child, a British subject, who has died.

He added that the family was "devastated" with the news that Jerrah had died, but admitted that Shamima's lack of compassion may have contributed to the situation.

Watch the clip above.