Court increases sentences of parents who murdered baby son

The Court of Appeal has increased the prison terms of Wirral parents Klevi and Nivalda Pirjani, who were convicted of murdering their three-month-old son, Miguel, after judges ruled their original sentences were unduly lenient.

Klevi Pirjani’s minimum term has risen from 19 years to 21 years and six months. Nivalda Pirjani’s has increased from 15 years to 17 years and nine months.

The couple were sentenced in April over Miguel’s death. He was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in November 2024 with severe head injuries and died five days later. He had sustained 41 bone fractures in at least four separate incidents.

The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves, referred the sentences to the Court of Appeal. Lawyers for the government argued that the original terms did not reflect the seriousness of the case.

Lord Justice Jeremy Baker, sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mr Justice Hilliard, said the assaults on Miguel had been routine and grew more severe, ending in his murder. The judges said the original minimum terms had significantly underestimated the aggravating factors.

The court heard that Miguel’s fatal injuries were caused by a heavy blow, or series of blows, to the right side of his head. It could not be established which parent inflicted the fatal violence. The prosecution argued that whichever parent did so had the encouragement of the other.

While Miguel was in hospital, investigators found evidence of earlier abuse, including fractured ribs, legs and sternum. At the original sentencing, Mr Justice Andrew Baker said the parents had acted together, encouraging each other to attack their defenceless son.

Lawyers for both parents accepted that the original sentences were lenient but argued they were not so unreasonable that the appeal court should change them. The Court of Appeal rejected that argument and increased both terms.