Gravesend father who killed adopted 'bright, intelligent' two-year-old girl jailed for life

A father who murdered his two-year-old adopted daughter has been sentenced to life and must serve at least 23 years and six months behind bars.

Jan Gholami and his wife Roqia Ghulami have been on trial for the murder of Zahra Ghulami at their Gravesend home in May 2020.

During the nine-week trial, prosecutor Sally Howes KC said Zahra suffered a skull fracture caused by “significant impact with significant energy” at the hands of Gholami.

The girl was taken to hospital on 27 May 2020 and died two days later.

The prosecution accused the father-of-four of taking out his “bad temper” on her and bashing her head against a wall.

The judge, The honourable Mr Justice Wall told Gholami: "You killed a defenceless and vulnerable young child in her home.

"It was the culmination of the brutal and brutish way you treated the female members of your family."

The court heard his wife was the victim of domestic violence at his hands.

She was also jailed for two years for child cruelty because she "ignored the suffering" of her daughter and failed to summon help when she was fatally injured.

His wife Roqia Ghulami was acquitted of murder but was found guilty of child neglect and was jailed for two years.

Former farmer Gholami, originally from Afghanistan, told jurors he went to Tesco that morning, and when he got home, his son said Zahra had fallen down the stairs and was vomiting.

Jurors were told Gholami came to the UK in January 2016 while Ghulami was still in Afghanistan with their children.

The couple adopted Zahra in 2017 after Gholami’s friend, Zahra’s father, felt unable to look after her following the death of his wife in childbirth.

This happened when Ghulami was in Afghanistan and the adoption was approved by village elders.

In January 2019, Gholami applied for asylum for Ghulami from the UK, and she arrived with the children to join him.

Kent Police’s senior investigating officer Det Insp 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.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “This is a profoundly sad case. Zahra was entrusted into the care of Gholami, after her mother died when she was born. But instead of treating her with love and care, he violently abused her, taking her life.

“Very young children are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they are completely reliant on the adults around them for care and protection. ‘Bright’ and ‘curious’ little Zahra was devastatingly let down by those who had promised to take care of her.

“It’s crucial that anyone who has concerns for a child’s safety or welfare contacts the local authorities, the police or the NSPCC Helpline, so that help can be provided and children protected.”

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