Mother gets life for infant killing after lottery ticket

A mother who fatally injured her infant daughter in a violent assault and then delayed seeking help to buy a lottery ticket has been sentenced to life in prison. Sarah Ngaba, 32, was given a minimum term of 12 years and 154 days at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, June 12, after being convicted of murdering her daughter, Eliza.

The court heard that the attack occurred on November 13, 2019, when Eliza was just seven weeks old. Ngaba inflicted catastrophic injuries through a combination of violent shaking and a significant impact to the head, fracturing the baby's skull. Despite the severity of the injuries, Ngaba did not seek immediate medical attention. Instead, she was captured on CCTV visiting a shop to purchase a lottery ticket and, according to one account, ran a bath for herself before finally taking Eliza to a hospital in Telford, Shropshire, by taxi.

Eliza survived the assault but was left profoundly disabled. She was placed into foster care with Laura and Gary Haynes, whom the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Brunner, praised as "remarkable." Eliza died in August 2022 from a viral respiratory infection, with medical experts stating the head trauma was a significant...