A mother who fractured her baby's skull in a fit of rage has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Sarah Ngaba, 32, from Telford, subjected her seven-week-old daughter Eliza to a brutal assault on November 13, 2019, shaking her and striking her head against a hard surface.
The attack caused bleeding in Eliza's brain and eyes, leaving her profoundly disabled. She died in August 2022 from pneumonia and acute lung injury, with the head injury identified as a significant contributing factor.
Conviction and sentencing
Ngaba was initially convicted of causing grievous bodily harm in May 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, after Eliza's death, she was charged with murder. At Birmingham Crown Court, a jury found her guilty of murder by a majority verdict of ten to two.
During sentencing on Friday, June 12, Judge Mrs Justice Brunner KC stated that Ngaba had never given a truthful account of the vicious assault. She noted that Ngaba delayed seeking help, buying a lottery ticket before taking Eliza to hospital by taxi, and then adjusted her lies to match new information.
Judge's remarks
The judge said: 'It cannot be said with 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.'
Sentencing Ngaba to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years and 154 days, the judge added: 'You may have regretted what you did but you have never shown remorse.' The minimum term was reduced because Ngaba had already served six years and 211 days of her previous sentence.
