Sutha Sivanantham: Woman charged with murdering five-year-old daughter

Mother appears in court via video link over alleged murder

Sayagi Sivanantham was pronounced dead in hospital after being found with knife wounds at a flat in south London (PA)

A woman has been charged with murdering her five-year-old daughter in south London, police have said.

The Metropolitan Police said Sutha Sivanantham, who is 35 years old, appeared via video link at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Friday over the death of Sayagi Sivanantham, speaking only to confirm her name and date of birth.

The case has now been sent to the Old Bailey, where a hearing is scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Officers were called to an address on Monarch Parade in Mitcham on Tuesday 30 June following a report of two people who were injured.

They found a woman and a girl suffering from knife wounds at the address.

The girl, who was identified as Sayagi, was taken to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

A post-mortem examination at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital found she had died from stab injuries.

In July, Elsa Gonzales, a neighbour on Monarch Parade, said she heard screaming and crying coming from the flat next to hers and found a woman and child in the bedroom of the property.

“I saw the woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood,” Ms Gonzales told the PA news agency.

“There was blood everywhere.”

She described Sayagi as a “cheeky little girl” who was “always playing with the neighbourhood kids”.

Siobhain McDonagh, the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden, wrote on Twitter that the incident was “truly tragic”.

“My sincere condolences to family and friends. My thoughts are also with neighbours and residents who have witnessed such tragedy," Ms McDonagh said.

Additional reporting by PA