Telford mother jailed for assaulting two-month-old daughter
A Telford mother has been jailed after she assaulted her two-month-old daughter who suffered life-changing injuries.
Sarah Ngaba, 27 years old and previously of Briarwood in Brookside was sentenced to 14 years to serve a minimum of nine years eight months at Stafford Crown Court.
She had been convicted at an earlier hearing on 30 November 2020 at the same court.
On 13 November 2019, Ngaba presented the baby, floppy and unresponsive, at the hospital. Upon physical examination, doctors discovered several serious injuries which were consistent with a severe assault.
Initially, Ngaba gave the medical staff the impression that she did not know why her baby was unresponsive. However, just before her police interview, she admitted she had struck her baby but did not intend to injure her.
The Crown Prosecution Service proved that Ngaba's claim that she did not intend to injure her baby when she hit her was false. The nature and severity of the baby's injuries indicated that Ngaba had assaulted her baby and intended to cause her serious harm.
Warren Stanier of the CPS said: "By her actions, Sarah Ngaba has permanently destroyed the quality of her baby's life. Her baby was left with severe disability and will be entirely dependent on others for the rest of her life. Despite having inflicted catastrophic injuries on her child and knowing immediately that the child needed urgent medical attention, she was indifferent and did not call an ambulance. She waited more than two hours after the assault before presenting the baby at the hospital.
"Throughout the investigation, she repeatedly lied and changed her account many times. She even tried to pin the blame on the baby’s father, who was not present at the time of the assault. Sarah Ngaba has been sentenced for the crime she committed. Rather than caring for her baby, she chose to inflict devastating injuries on her. She has received a long prison sentence during which she will have the time to reflect on the severity of her actions.
"I hope this sentencing sends a message to parents who abuse their children that the CPS will prosecute such cases vigorously."
Detective Inspector Jo Whitehead from the West Mercia Police vulnerability team in Telford said: "This is a significant custodial sentence for such an incredibly distressing case.
"Ngaba displayed the total opposite behaviour to that which would be expected of a caring mother. "Her horrific actions have resulted in her daughter’s future quality of life sadly being permanently diminished."
