RASPAL CHANA AND EVA LOGINA FROM SMETHWICK SENTENCED FOR CHILD'S FATAL SCALDING IN BIRMINGHAM

In a tragic case that has shocked the community of Smethwick and the wider Birmingham area, Rashpal Chana and Eva Logina have been found guilty of manslaughter in connection with the death of a two-year-old girl, Kristiana Logina. The incident occurred after the young child was subjected to a severe scalding in a shower, leading to devastating injuries that ultimately resulted in her death.

Rashpal Chana, a man who once received recognition from the Queen for his contributions to British science, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. His reputation was significantly tarnished following the court's verdict. Chana, aged 49, had been appointed to the Birmingham bench in 1993 and was known for his academic achievements, including a visit to Buckingham Palace in 2006 where he met the Duke of Edinburgh and renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. Despite his distinguished background, his involvement in this case has cast a dark shadow over his career.

Eva Logina, the child's mother, received a six-year prison sentence for her role in the manslaughter of Kristiana. The court heard that the young girl suffered burns covering approximately 10 percent of her body, with water temperatures possibly reaching as high as 58 degrees Celsius. The burns went untreated for an extended period, causing her skin to die and begin to decay. Tragically, Kristiana succumbed to septic shock at Birmingham Children’s Hospital in February of the previous year, approximately ten to fourteen days after the scalding incident.

The court was informed that Chana, who moved Logina, then 25, into his home in the Harborne suburb of Birmingham, failed to seek proper medical attention for Kristiana after the burns were inflicted. Instead, both Logina and Chana only applied creams and bandages, neglecting the urgent need for professional medical intervention. Their failure to act promptly was deemed gross negligence, and it was emphasized that if they had sought immediate help, Kristiana’s life could have been saved.

During the trial, the jury was told that Kristiana’s injuries were so severe that they should have been immediately obvious as requiring urgent medical treatment. The prosecution argued that the injuries were most likely caused by the application of extremely hot water from a shower head unit. Both Logina and Chana claimed in police interviews that they did not realize the extent of Kristiana’s burns, a defense that the court found unconvincing.

In her sentencing remarks at Nottingham Crown Court, Mrs. Justice Dobbs described the defendants’ actions as gross negligence by omission. She acknowledged Chana’s previous achievements and the fact that he was not present in the bathroom at the time of the injury, but emphasized that as the person who had taken Kristiana into his home, he bore a duty of care. The judge also noted that Logina’s fear of losing her child to social services influenced her decision not to seek medical help, which contributed to the tragic outcome.

Legal representatives for both defendants expressed their clients’ despair. Michael Duck QC, defending Logina, stated that her fear of social services had prevented her from seeking medical aid, while Roger Thomas, representing Chana, said that the verdict meant he had “quite literally lost it all” and that his career was effectively over. The prosecutor, Timothy Raggatt QC, highlighted the severity of Kristiana’s injuries and the preventability of her death, asserting that prompt medical treatment could have saved her life. He described the neglect as grotesque and emphasized that the injuries were most likely caused by the application of dangerously hot water from a shower.

Both Logina and Chana are registered at separate addresses in Smethwick, West Midlands. The court heard that Logina had moved to the UK from Latvia in 2007 while pregnant with her daughter. Following Kristiana’s birth, she reportedly experienced depression and attempted to put her child up for adoption, an effort that failed. The court was told that Kristiana had been subjected to ill-treatment from that point onward.

The Office for Judicial Complaints announced that it would now consider removing Rashpal Chana from his position within the magistracy, reflecting the gravity of his misconduct and the breach of trust associated with his role as a judicial officer.