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British man accused of ordering baby drowned while he watched on Skype. Reuters

A British man has been accused of ordering his mistress to drown her one-year-old daughter in a bucket of water while he watched on Skype.

Accountant Ammaz Qureshi, 35, allegedly ordered the 28-year old Norwegian woman to punish the child when she interrupted their conversation.

He then watched while she tortured the child and submerged its head in a bucket of water.

When the child was submerged a second time she lost consciousness and the mother rang emergency services. The baby died the following day.

According to prosecutors Qureshi, from Pinner in northwest London, directed months of abuse against the child, which included forcing her to eat chilli powder, binding her legs for hours and depriving her of sleep.

The pair were introduced to each other by Qureshi's brother in 2010 when the woman visited London. Despite being married, Qureshi began an affair with the woman which continued through text messages and online when she returned to Oslo.

After her child died, the mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told police the Qurreshi had ordered her to drown the child, and admitted that she had taken part in the abuse.

Qureshi was extradited to Norway in December 2012, and is charged with premeditated murder and assault.

"She was subjected to physical violence during disciplining. In the end, it went too far and she died," Oslo District Attorney Cecilie Schløsser Møller told TV2.

"By submerging the girl in the bucket, they would have anticipated her death. She was a small, defenceless girl who was subjected to extensive abuse."

Qureshi's lawyer said that his client denied the charges.

"He denies the accusations of premeditated murder and assault. My client is baffled that he is accused of a crime committed in a country which he - at that point in time - had never set foot in," Vibeke Hein Baera, defending, said.

"He also says that he has not contributed to this in any kind of way, in fact the opposite."

The mother denies premeditated murder but admits abusing the child.

The trial is scheduled for Oslo District Court next winter.