A Teenage mother who allowed her daughter to starve to death while she partied in London and Coventry for six days has been jailed for nine years.

Verphy Kudi went to a 1990s music concert in Elephant and Castle and even had a DJ announce her 18th birthday during her days-long jaunt away from home, a court heard.

All the while, her 20-month-old daughter Asiah was alone in her flat in Brighton more than 50 miles away.

Asiah tragically died from influenza and starvation after having been left unattended in the flat for days on end.

When Kudi returned home and called 999 to say her baby was not waking up, paramedics found the mother “incoherent, distressed and distraught” and her daughter lying on the floor.

Kudi, now 19, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in March, and was jailed at Lewes Crown Court on Friday for nine years.

Wearing a black jacket and a face mask, Kudi bowed her head as details of the final days of her daughter’s life were read out in the courtroom.

Prosecutor Sally Howes QC said CCTV covering Kudi’s home showed that she had left Asiah alone in the flat for five days, 21 hours and 58 minutes.

Kudi left Brighton on December 5 and went to London, where she spent her birthday with her boyfriend.

On December 7 she attended a concert in Elephant and Castle, staying out until 4am.

On December 9 she moved on to a birthday party in Coventry – 150 miles from Brighton – before returning to London the next day and then home to East Sussex on December 11.

At 6.12pm on December 11, ambulance staff arrived at Kudi’s Brighton flat and Asiah was taken to the city’s Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital but was confirmed dead on arrival.

Peter Wilcock QC, representing Kudi, said it is “truly a tragic and devastating case”.

He added: “She herself, the defendant, is both very young and we would submit very vulnerable.”

Mr Wilcock cited her young age at the time of the offence and her history of vulnerability, as well as the effects any sentence will have on her going forward.

Sentencing Kudi, Judge Christine Laing QC said: “Asiah was alone in that flat for six days – less two hours – unable to do anything to draw attention to her plight.

“She was a helpless child and relied completely on you as her mother to provide for her needs.

“It is almost unbearable to contemplate her suffering in the final days of her life, suffering that she endured so that you could celebrate your birthday and the birthdays of your friends as a carefree teenager.”

“It goes without saying that this is a particularly tragic case and it no doubt raises strong emotions in all who hear of it, but everyone should bear in mind that the charge I sentence you for is one of manslaughter, it being accepted that you did not intend to cause Asiah death nor to cause her really serious harm.”

Kudi stood motionless as she was jailed for nine years and taken away by court staff.

“This has been a deeply harrowing case involving the death of a 20-month-old baby”, said Libby Clark, of CPS South East.

“Asiah’s mother Verphy Kudi had a duty to keep her safe from harm, but instead selfishly chose to put her own need to party and be with her friends above all else. The consequences of her decision meant that Asiah must have suffered dreadfully during the days and nights that she was alone in the flat.

“This follows a history of multiple earlier occasions of abandonment and neglect.

“I extend my deepest sympathies to Asiah’s grandparents and other family for their loss.”