Mother Sentenced for Fatal Shaking of Two-Year-Old Daughter
A mother who violently shook her two-year-old daughter, inflicting fatal brain injuries, received a nine-year prison sentence. The toddler, Omra Wali Jan, passed away in hospital on February 9, 2024, following the extreme trauma inflicted the previous November.
Omra endured weeks of abuse in late 2023, including beatings, burns from a lighter, and bites, before the deadly incident.
Parents Admit Guilt in Child Cruelty Case
Morsal Mohammed Naim, 32, and her husband Firooz Wali Jan, 32, pleaded guilty to child cruelty at Manchester Crown Court. Naim faced a murder charge but admitted manslaughter during her trial.
Prosecutor John Elvidge KC explained that both parents participated in or enabled the abuse. He stated: ‘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.’
Police shared photos of Omra taken while under others’ care, depicting a joyful, smiling child.
Omra’s Background and Living Conditions
Born in Afghanistan and raised by her father’s family, Omra joined her parents in Levenshulme in September 2023. She struggled to adjust to the cramped, substandard flat. Naim rarely left the home and refused to leave her daughter alone with Wali Jan.
Evidence of Abuse Uncovered
Images and videos on Naim’s phone showed burns on Omra’s right hand, cheek bruising, and a lip injury, confirming weeks of mistreatment.
The Fatal Incident on November 30, 2023
That day, Wali Jan left for work, leaving Omra with Naim. Phone records revealed deleted calls to his Afghan family and an erased audio message at 5:44 p.m.
Naim called relatives unsuccessfully before contacting a distant family member. She carried the unresponsive, non-breathing Omra to a neighbor, falsely claiming the child had choked on a biscuit.
Paramedics arrived after delays, initially suspecting a hoax. A neighbor eventually granted access, allowing them to resuscitate Omra, who showed bruises and marks on her head and body.
At Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, a CT scan detected severe brain injuries: multifocal subdural hemorrhage, extensive hypoxic damage, and retinal hemorrhages in the right eye. Omra received intubation and ventilation, but life support ended with High Court approval on February 9, 2024.
A post-mortem confirmed head injuries as the cause of death.
Court Findings and Sentencing
Elvidge asserted all injuries occurred deliberately at home, caused by weapons or bites, inflicting extreme pain. He noted: ‘The 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.’
Judge Mr Justice Turner described the parents’ actions as ‘sadistic.’ Addressing Naim, he said: ‘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.’
Naim received nine years imprisonment. Wali Jan got six years and nine months.
