UK Mother Jailed for Life After Infant Daughter Dies from Abuse Injuries

A UK woman who inflicted catastrophic head injuries on her seven-week-old daughter has been jailed for life after the child later died from complications linked to the abuse.

Sarah Ngaba, 32, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday after being convicted of murdering her daughter, Eliza.

The court heard the infant suffered severe brain and skull injuries in November 2019 that left her permanently disabled and medically vulnerable, BBC reported.

Eliza died in 2022, aged two, after developing a respiratory infection.

Prosecutors said the infection proved fatal because of the life-limiting injuries caused by her mother nearly three years earlier.

Handing down the sentence, Mrs Justice Brunner said Eliza had been deprived of the chance to live a normal life and concluded that Ngaba had attacked the infant in a fit of anger.

"You are a person who loses your temper and lashes out," the judge said, adding that Ngaba had never provided a truthful account of what happened to her daughter.

Ngaba accepted responsibility for causing the injuries but denied murder.

A jury rejected her defence and found her guilty following a trial in May.

Medical evidence presented during the case showed Eliza's injuries were consistent with both shaking and impact trauma.

Prosecutor Lisa Hancox KC told the court the injuries were caused by two separate mechanisms and indicated a sustained assault rather than a single act.

The court heard that after the attack, Ngaba delayed seeking help and instead visited a shop to buy a lottery ticket before taking the seriously injured baby to hospital by taxi.

As a result of the assault, Eliza was placed in foster care after Ngaba was jailed in 2021 for causing grievous bodily harm.

Despite living with profound disabilities, the child was cared for by foster parents Laura and Gary Haynes until her death.

Sentencing remarks praised the couple for providing Eliza with a stable and loving home.

The judge described them as "remarkable" and said they had brought happiness and security into the young girl's life.

In a statement released through West Mercia Police, Eliza's foster family said: "Our time with Eliza was too short and our hearts are broken. We are privileged to be Eliza's family. We love her dearly and miss her terribly every day."

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Holehouse described the case as "utterly heartbreaking" and said Eliza had lived with the consequences of the violence inflicted upon her for the rest of her life.

"The life sentence given to Ngaba reflects not only the severity of the harm inflicted upon Eliza, but also the childhood so cruelly taken away by the person who was meant to love and cherish her," he said.

Ngaba received a life sentence with a minimum term reduced to account for time already served for the original assault conviction.