A mother who fractured her infant's skull 'in a fit of rage' has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Sarah Ngaba, 32, was found guilty of murdering her seven-week-old daughter Eliza in Telford.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
Ngaba displayed 'hostility and unkindness' towards her 'tiny and vulnerable' daughter, leading to a 'brutal assault' on 13 November 2019. She shook Eliza, causing bleeding in her brain and eyes, and struck her head against a hard surface. Eliza was left profoundly disabled and died in August 2022 from pneumonia and acute lung injury, with the head trauma a significant contributing factor.
Ngaba had previously been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm in May 2021 and received a 14-year sentence. However, after Eliza's death, she faced a murder charge. She acknowledged causing 'dreadful, life-shortening and life-limiting' head injuries but contested the murder charge. At Birmingham Crown Court, a jury convicted her of murder by a majority verdict of ten to two.
Sentencing Remarks
During sentencing on 12 June 2026, judge Mrs Justice Brunner KC told Ngaba she had 'never given a truthful and full account' of the assault. The judge noted that Ngaba delayed seeking medical help, instead buying a lottery ticket before taking Eliza to hospital by taxi. She 'deliberately concealed' Eliza's condition and 'adjusted her lies in a calculated way' at the hospital.
The judge stated: 'It cannot be said with any certainty whether Eliza's disabilities would have been less severe if you had acted immediately, and it cannot be said her death would have been prevented. But it is clear you did not maximise her chances by seeking help and telling doctors what you had done to her. Instead, you put your own interests above hers.'
Ngaba was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years and 154 days. The judge noted the minimum term would have been 19 years but was reduced to account for the six years and 211 days already served in custody.
