A man found guilty of the assault and murder of his girlfriend’s toddler has been jailed for at least 33 years.
Mohammed Khazma, 25, was found guilty of brutally murdering the 2-year-old girl in December 2016. He was sentenced on Friday, April 12, for 44 years with a non-parole period of 33 years.
According to ABC News, Khazma had met the girl’s mother on Facebook in November 2016, and they moved in together the following month.
The jury in Sydney rejected the claim from Khazma, who blamed the mother for the attacks.
WARNING: Graphic content.
Child murderer Mohammed Khazma has been sentenced to 44 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for the assault and murder of his new girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter. https://t.co/evkmhCWxJ3— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) April 12, 2019
The toddler’s cause of death was blunt force trauma and spinal cord injuries, the court heard.
Judge Elizabeth Fullerton said she was satisfied Khazma was responsible for the girl’s 114 injuries, news.com.au reported.
According to the news website, the abuse began when they moved in together to a granny flat in West Sydney, after knowing each other for a few weeks.
SupCt sentences Mr Khazma to 44yrs (NPP 33yrs) for the murder of his defacto partner’s 2 year old daughter in 2016. Sum: https://t.co/sfPinSlTjm
— NSW Supreme Court (@NSWSupCt) April 12, 2019
The judge said Khazma derived “perverse pleasure” from the pain the toddler suffered.
“He inflicted those injuries wantonly and repeatedly deriving some perverse pleasure from the pain the child would inevitably have suffered when she was burnt and for hours, perhaps even days, afterwards,” she said.
The post-mortem found injuries including bleeding inside her skull, bruising, and human bite marks.
“The fatal assaults appear to be the result of his uncontrolled rage and a complete lack of appreciation for the vulnerability of the child,” the judge added.
Justice Elizabeth Fullerton said she was satisfied Mohammed Khazma was responsible for most of the girl's 114 injuries, "deriving some perverse pleasure from the pain the child will inevitably have suffered" when he burnt her repeatedly.
Story @AAPNewswire https://t.co/MjSjDWCNEv— Sarah McPhee (@_SarahMcPhee) April 12, 2019
The 25-year-old denies the murder, and showed no remorse, perthnow reported.
The mother had given evidence at the trial that her back was turned, when Khazma slapped the child, and leaving her unconscious, The Australian Associated Press reported.
She said her child turned “a brownish purple color” and vomited black liquid.
The mother was also jailed for at least 16 months for failing to take her daughter away from Khazma, according to 9News.
The mother had a “desperate need to placate the offender at the expense of her daughter,” Justice Fullerton said.
“The two adults who were in different ways ultimately criminally responsible for her death,” she said.
Child Abuse
An estimated 674,000 children were determined to be victims of maltreatment in 2017, according to the Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.
Of the victims, about 75 percent were neglected, 18 percent were physically abused, and 9 percent were sexually abused.
Perpetrators of abuse or neglect are most often in the 25 to 34 age range. More than four-fifths (83.4 percent) of the perpetrators were between 18 and 44 years old. Perpetrators were more likely to be female.
Reporting Suspected Abuse
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact your local child protective services office or law enforcement agency so officials can investigate and assess the situation. Most states have a number to call to report abuse or neglect.
To find out where to call, consult the State Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers website.
The Childhelp organization can also provide crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. Contact them at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
“Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children),” according to Childhelp.
