Khaberni - Manpreet Ghatana, age 34, and Jaskireet Singh Obal, age 36, stood trial at Old Bailey in London, accused of murdering their daughter Penelope Chandlee, who was three years old after she died due to severe malnutrition.
According to "The Daily Mail", the prosecutor Philip Magee explained that the couple, both of Indian descent and following a vegetarian diet, deliberately starved the girl, leading to her death.
The girl's body was found in the family home in Hayes, West London, after her mother informed the funeral director of her death.
The investigations showed that the family’s diet consisted solely of butter, lentils, and yogurt.
The couple had previously denied the charges of deliberate murder, along with alternative charges including involuntary manslaughter due to gross negligence, causing the death of a child, and child maltreatment.
Judge Mark Lucraft, the recorder of London, ordered their detention until the next case management session on July 17, with a trial scheduled to begin in front of a high court judge on January 11 next year and last eight weeks.
The prosecutor mentioned that the couple were not working at the time of the girl’s death and were isolated from the extended family and broader community, which contributed to the exacerbation of the girl’s tragedy.
