A TWIN girl whose identity was allegedly swapped with her sister to hide her injuries was in a ‘better place’ following her death, her Blackburn mother told a police officer.

Nafisa Karolia made the remark a day after her seven-month-old daughter died following abuse she had suffered in the weeks before, a jury at Preston Crown Court heard today.

The Crown says the 22-year-old defendant and her husband, Mohammed, 29, of Meadow Close, Audley, Blackburn, told the authorities their dead daughter was the healthier and smaller of their two identical twins before they later switched to naming her sibling on the death certificate.

The victim - referred to as Girl M - suffered fractures to the ribs, legs and arms, and skull damage affecting the brain and central nervous system.

When she was pronounced dead in hospital in June 2009 her parents were said to have given the name of the surviving twin, Girl A, to staff and later to police.

Both deny two counts of child cruelty against Girl M.

Giving evidence, Detective Inspective Claire Holbrook recalled a conversation with Mrs Karolia when she visited the family home.

She told the court: "She said she felt her daughter was in a better place. She seemed to believe in the afterlife and take some comfort from that."

The officer explained that the defendant also made reference to the other twin as she cuddled her.

"She said she noticed her surviving twin had previously been very difficult to pass from one person to another but since the death of the other child she was now feeling more comfortable being passed between family members," she said.

The jury was told yesterday that Girl M died from bronchopneumonia but the alleged maltreatment by her parents could not be said to have caused her death.

The court heard the Karolias made a deliberate attempt to hide the ailing twin from the outside world in the weeks leading up to her death, including tricking a social worker into believing she was examining the twin who later died.

They were said to have made a concerted effort to keep Girl M out of sight of the social worker and a health visitor two weeks before the death.

Joe Boyd, prosecuting, said the identity swap was uncovered by discrepancies in the head, weight and height measurements previously taken from Girl M and her twin.

He said growth charts for the youngsters made it clear the parents swapped the babies at some point in a probable bid to conceal the mounting injuries to the child who was ‘for some reason, rejected and abused by them’.

The offences are said to have taken place between November 26, 2008 and June 16, 2009.

The trial, scheduled to last between six and eight weeks, continues.