A mother who admitted shaking her two-year-old daughter to death will not have her nine-year sentence increased, after Court of Appeal judges ruled it was not "unduly lenient". Morsal Mohammed Naim, 33, of Levenshulme, had admitted manslaughter and child cruelty following the death of her daughter, Omra Wali Jan.
Omra suffered a catastrophic brain injury and died after police were called to reports of an unresponsive child in November 2023. Doctors found she had sustained a brain injury, along with other unexplained injuries including burns, bruising, and a fractured rib.
The Attorney General referred the sentence, which was imposed at Manchester Crown Court in February. However, three senior judges rejected the challenge, with Lord Justice Bean stating the original sentence fell within the range available to the trial judge.
The court heard that Naim and Omra's father, Firooz Wali Jan, 32, had moved to the UK from Afghanistan in 2021 and did not speak English. Mr Wali Jan was jailed for six years and nine months after admitting child cruelty.
Naim's barrister, Caroline Carberry KC, described her client as socially isolated and in a "controlling marriage", with a psychologist finding Naim had low cognitive abilities amounting to a learning disability. Lord Justice Bean noted Naim had strong mitigation due to her personal circumstances and had led an "isolated and unhappy life".