Morsal Mohammed Naim and Firooz Wali Jan – Manchester

The parents of an abused two-year-old girl who died after suffering serious brain injuries have been jailed.

Omra Wali Jan was beaten, burnt with a lighter and bitten over a number of weeks in 2023.

She died on February 9, 2024, having suffered severe, traumatic brain injuries caused by ‘extremely forceful shaking’ by her mother the previous November.

A court heard that while it is not clear exactly what each parent did, with the full extent of the abuse unknown, Morsal Mohammed Naim, 32, and convicted paedophile husband Firooz Wali Jan, 32, admitted child cruelty.

Naim was accused of murdering Omra, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the third day of a trial.

“Neither parent was kept in the dark,” John Elvidge KC said. “Both enabled and acquiesced in the forcible and deliberate infliction of severe injuries on Omra by one or both, over a period of time.

With each extra attack, this complicity inevitably increased, permitting less and less differentiation of roles.”

Following a two-day sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court, Naim, of no fixed address, was jailed for nine years.

Wali Jan, of Seymour Grove, Old Trafford, was jailed for six years and nine months.

The judge noted the ‘sadistic behaviour’ in the case, as well as ‘multiple incidents of serious cruelty’.

Mr Elvidge KC, prosecuting, earlier said Omra was born in Afghanistan and raised by her father’s family. She came to live with her parents, Naim and Wali Jan, in Levenshulme in September 2023.

She struggled to settle into her new environment, with the accommodation described as a ‘tightly confined’ and of ‘poor quality’. Naim did not leave the flat and would not leave Wali Jan alone with their daughter.

Over a number of weeks, Omra was abused, the court heard. Naim and Wali Jan have not detailed exactly what they did. Images and videos from Naim’s phone revealed burn injuries to Omra’s right hand; bruising to her cheek; and an injury to her lip.

On November 30, 2023, Wali Jan went to work, leaving Naim with the child. Phone records show she deleted a number of calls she made to her husband’s family in Afghanistan.

Naim sent an audio message to another number at 5.44pm, which was later deleted. Naim then made a number of unsuccessful calls to other family members before calling a distant relative.

She carried Omra, who was unconscious and not breathing, upstairs to a neighbour. The court heard she falsely told the woman her child had choked on a biscuit.

An ambulance was called. Paramedics banged on the window, but there was no response. They initially thought it was a hoax call.

Eventually, a neighbour answered and medics were able to revive the child. Omra had bruises and marks on her head and body.

She was rushed to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where a CT scan revealed she had suffered a severe brain injury involving multifocal subdural haemorrhage; extensive hypoxic brain injury; and multiple retinal haemorrhages in the right eye.

Omra was intubated and ventilated. Life support was removed with the permission of the High Court on February 9, 2024.

A post mortem report concluded she died as a result of head injuries.

Mr Elvidge KC asked for the court to sentence the parents on the basis that ‘all of these injuries were inflicted deliberately in the family home’, adding: “The injuries were caused with an implement used as a weapon or by biting.

“These injuries were not caused by a fleeting contact and they would have caused Omra to flinch or move away, if she could. When inflicted each injury would have caused extreme pain to Omra.”

He said anyone in the flat would have been aware of Omra’s response to her injuries. Mr Elvidge KC added: “Neither parent reported these injuries to anyone or sought medical attention for them. Both parents lied about how and when injuries were inflicted and they have lied to protect each other.

“Neither parent was kept in the dark, both enabled and acquiesced in the forcible and deliberate infliction of severe injuries on Omra by one or both, over a period of time. With each extra attack, this complicity inevitably increased, permitting less and less differentiation of roles.”

Caroline Carberry KC, defending Naim, said she had no verified date of birth; no schooling; and was raised in a rural area in Afghanistan before marrying at a young age to a man with ‘limited communication’.

Asked by judge Mr Justice Mark Turner what triggered the episode on November 30, Ms Carberry KC said: “I cannot give you chapter and verse. This was a momentary lapse of control from a mother who was under extreme stress and strain.”

The court heard Wali Jan has a previous conviction for possession of indecent images of children in 2019 when he lived in Belgium.

Jailing the pair for their ‘sadistic behaviour’, Mr Justice Turner said of Naim: “Although you pleaded guilty to manslaughter very late in the day, you have never admitted anything about the following – why you attacked your daughter; what form the attack took, when and in what circumstances you did so; and what you did and for how long in the aftermath.”

The judge cited multiple incidents of serious cruelty; sadistic behaviour; use of a weapon; deliberate disregard for the welfare of the victim; and failing to take steps to protect the victim.

The judge said Wali Jan’s previous conviction ‘portrayed an earlier example of his attitude to the welfare of children’. He commended the investigating team for their work on ‘the most complex and harrowing case’.