Dad jailed for murder of 11-week-old daughter (South Auckland, New Zealand)

Dad AZEES MAHOMED has been jailed for 17 years for starving, bashing, and finally murdering his 11-month-old daughter. Mom has also been convicted of "failing to provide the necessaries of life," though it's not clear from the information provided here that she had the ability to do so.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3162384/Man-jailed-for-daughters-murder

Dad jailed for 11-week-old daughter's murder
By CLIO FRANCIS - Stuff.co.nz
Last updated 11:50 15/12/2009

A South Auckland man who starved, bashed and finally killed his 11-week-old daughter will serve at least 17 years in jail.

Azees Mahomed, 31, was today sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his daughter Tahani Mahomed.

Justice Rhys Harrison told Azees Mahomed the murder of his daughter had been a "cowardly" and "callous" killing.

Baby Tahani died in Auckland's Starship Hospital on New Years Day, 2008, after she arrived at Middlemore Hospital on December 28, 2007, with severe head injuries.

"She lived, I regret to say, a brief and grossly abused life," Justice Harrison told the Auckland High Court.

Azees Mahomed was also found guilty of two charges of grievous bodily harm - which relate to breaking his daughter's leg and giving her a head injury so severe it caused brain damage between October 7 and December 26, 2007 - and one count of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

He was sentenced to five years in jail for each of these charges.

All will be served concurrently.

His wife Tabbasum Mahomed, 26, was found guilty of one charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

Justice Harrison called her offending at the "worst end of the scale".

"It is inconceivable to me as a parent and a member of the community that a loving and responsible mother would leave a defenceless baby critically ill and unattended for many hours.

"I observed you consistently throughout the trial, you showed no emotion whatsoever when listening to the distressing details of your daughter's death.

She was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

Crown prosecutor Philip Hamlin said the South African-born couple had treated their young daughter with systematic neglect and violence.

"This child has clearly suffered at the hands of her father, she had significant head injuries and significant injuries to her leg prior to the fatal injury."

In the 11 short weeks of Baby Tahani's life she would have been in "exquisite pain", Mr Hamlin said.

She had been left alone in a hot car, neglected, starved and had received several brain injuries, the court was told.

Azees Mohamed had also pulled the baby's left leg so hard it broke her shin bone.

The doctor who examined Tahani when she arrived at Middlemore Hospital described her as severely "malnourished", estimating her weight to be only 4 kilograms.

Azees Mahomed's lawyer Melinda Mason said her client's capacity to be a parent was compromised by his low IQ.

Ad Feedback He had an IQ of 70 - 73 which put him in the lowest 3 - 4 percent of people his age, Ms Mason said.

This would have diminished his ability for practical reasoning and social judgement, the court was told.

Tabassum's lawyer, Paul Borich, said his client was not responsible for her daughter's injuries.

His client was remorseful about her daughter's death and her failure to get her immediate medical help, Mr Borich said.