A KILLER dad who smashed his adopted daughter’s head against a wall in a brutal murder has been jailed for life.
Jan Gholami, 32, attacked two-year-old Zahra then concocted a web of lies to cover his tracks.
PAZahra suffered a catastrophic brain injury[/caption]
Kent PoliceGholami was seen carrying the youngster into hospital[/caption]
The dad-of-four and wife Roqia Ghulami, 32, claimed the youngster had fallen down the stairs at their home in Gravesend, Kent.
But medics found Zahra, who was adopted by the couple in their native Afghanistan in 2017 when her biological mum died, had suffered a skull fracture caused by a “significant impact”.
Gholami has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years and six months after being convicted of murder and child cruelty.
His wife was jailed for two years after being found guilty of cruelty of a person under 16.
Gholami claimed he had returned home from Tesco on May 27, 2020, to find Zahra vomiting after she fell down the stairs.
A chilling photo showed the dad carrying the lifeless tot into Darent Valley Hospital.
Prosecutor Sally Howes KC said: “It was noted immediately by hospital staff she was floppy and unresponsive and her breathing was shallow. Her heart rate was slow and her blood pressure high.
“She had a large swelling to the back of her head.
“He told doctors that Zahra had injured herself in an unwitnessed fall down the stairs at home while he was away at a local Tesco.”
The court was told while medics battled to save the tot, Gholami was “keen to show” a receipt from the supermarket.
But Ms Howes said Zahra had already been attacked by this stage.
After he was arrested, the dad told police: “Why are they taking me to a police station? What have I done? I have enough worries. My child is in a coma.
“I don’t know anything about what happened to the child because I was not at home. I was at Tesco. I don’t know what happened.”
Zahra had suffered a catastrophic brain injury that resulted from a “direct impact”, such as “being thrown to the floor forcibly dashed up against a wall or some other upright structure”, it was said.
A post mortem also showed a number of other injuries that had been inflicted before the fatal wound.
Jurors heard the family lived in Afghanistan until January 2016 when they told UK immigration officials they were fleeing the Taliban.
In 2018, Gholami was given a UK passport and told officials his wife was in the process of adopting Zahra after her mother died.
Zahra had her life taken away from her by two people who had a responsibility to love and care for her.
Detective Inspector Ross Gurden
Ghulami was helped into the country with Zahra and her two other children by the Red Cross.
She was described as a “bright, intelligent” child who was “highly curious” and wanted to find out about everything.
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ross Gurden said: “Zahra had her life taken away from her by two people who had a responsibility to love and care for her.
“Jan inflicted the injuries on Zahra whilst Roqia was completely aware of his behaviour and failed to intervene and prevent Zahra from being injured.
“Zahra would have been six now, she would have started school and would be learning about the world around her, but instead her young life was cut short through violence inflicted by Jan, who should have been caring for her.
“I want to commend the jury who were a part of this trial. Incidents like this are thankfully rare but they played a hugely important role in securing justice for the very people who betrayed Zahra.”
PAThe dad has been jailed for life[/caption]
Roqia Ghulami has been jailed for two years Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
