British man arrested after young girl is ‘beaten to death’ in five-star hotel in Kazakhstan

Foreign Office confirms death of British child as man held on suspicion of murder

A British man has been arrested after his young daughter was allegedly beaten to death in a five-star hotel in Kazakhstan.

Local media said on Friday that a man beat his 18-month-old daughter to death at the luxury InterContinental Hotel in Almaty on 24 October.

It has since been reported that the suspect in the case is a British citizen, who will be held in detention for two months.

The man is being held on suspicion of “murder of a person known to be in a helpless state, as well as involving the abduction of a person or hostage taking”, according to a statement attributed to Almaty City Court.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the police in Kazakhstan following the death of a British child and the arrest of a British man in Almaty.”

Last week, Kazakhstan’s Astana TV said the child was killed in a “family conflict” at the hotel and the girl’s mother was heard screaming for help early on Thursday morning.

Although the child was reportedly given first aid and her heartbeat was restored, she later died in hospital.

“The hotel staff provided the necessary first aid. The ambulance rendered resuscitation to the child, restored pulse and pressure, and the child was hospitalised in the first city children’s hospital,” Aliya Dauletova, the director of the hotel’s sales and marketing department, told Astana TV.

“We later found out that she died in the hospital.”

Ms Dauletova said the hotel could not give any more details about the case as the information is confidential.

A police spokesperson said the suspect had been taken into custody and charged with murder.

If the man is found guilty, he could face up to 15 years in prison.