Zahra Ghulami: Father found guilty of toddler's death

The pair were arrested on the same day Zahra was taken into hospital

The adoptive father of a two-year-old girl has been found guilty of her murder in Kent after he "bashed her head against a wall".

Zahra Ghulami suffered serious head injuries at her home in Gravesend on the 27 May 2020 and died two days later at a hospital in London.

Jan Gholami, 33, was convicted by a majority verdict at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday.

His wife, Roqia Ghulami, 32, was found not guilty of murder.

However, she was found guilty of cruelty to a person under 16 and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the charge of allowing the death of a child.

Gholami was also found guilty of cruelty to a person under 16 and will be sentenced on 16 February.

The pair had denied all charges.

Zahra had been adopted from Afghanistan

Kent Police said Gholami claimed he was out food shopping when the incident happened at their home in Oak Road.

A police spokesperson said medical evidence provided by specialists concluded that the fatal injury was likely to have been caused by Zahra being thrown to the floor or against a wall.

During examinations, doctors found evidence of older injuries, which included a skull fracture, and a healing fracture to her arm and shoulder blade, police added.

'Bad temper'

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

Ms Howes accused the father-of-four of taking out his "bad temper" on her.

The girl's cause of death was given as a severe head injury and skull fracture by Professor Charles Mangham, an osteoarticular pathologist.

Zahra 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 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."

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