Ali Zain

The offence

What the court heard

He was found guilty of murder in Greater Manchester on 1 November 2019.Sentencing remarks Ali Zain, you may remain seated for now. 1. You have been convicted by a jury of the murder of your 10-month old daughter, Aiman Abbas Toor, and it is now my duty to sentence you for that crime. 2. On 1 November 2019, you took the life of a much-loved little girl, the first child of you and your wife, Sahar, and the first grandchild of your wife's parents, with whom she would stay and who looked after her for a great deal of the time. By your actions, not only have you deprived Aiman of her life, but you have deprived her mother, grandparents and wider family of the great joy which she so obviously brought them, and ought to have brought them for many years to come. The facts 3. You had returned from work shortly before 2:30 in the afternoon of 1 November. You were tired and wanted to sleep, having had an early start to the day. Your wife had been due to leave for work at around the same time and you had anticipated that Aiman would be staying at her grandparents' house that afternoon. When you arrived home, however, Aiman's grandmother, Rehana, had been outside in her car, with a sleepy Aiman, intending to leave her with you and to collect her at about six o'clock that evening. She was not to have the opportunity to do so. 4. Only you know exactly what happened between 2:30 and your 999 call, just over three hours later that afternoon. On the account which you gave at trial, which, by its verdict, the jury has rejected, you fell asleep alongside Aiman on your own bed, were woken by her crying some time later and, in an attempt to stop her crying, placed a blanket, or quilt, over her mouth for up to two minutes, tapping it with the fingers of your non-dominant hand, accidentally asphyxiating her whilst, as you would have it, 'in sleeping state'. 5. All of the expert medical evidence given in the course of your trial, including that of the consultant forensic pathologist called by the Defence, Dr Alison Armour, was inconsistent with that account. All of the experts were agreed that your daughter had died from asphyxia involving, at least, the blockage of her nose and mouth; the only distinction of significance between them being whether that action had been accompanied by some form of compressive force applied to her chest or neck. In the absence of such force, the evidence was that Aiman's nose and mouth would have had to have been blocked, under pressure, for a…

Aggravating and mitigating factors

Good Character / No (relevant) previous convictions; Lack of premeditation / Not Planned or Premeditated; Abuse of trust / Position of power; Mental / Physical suffering / Harm caused; Intention to cause serious bodily harm / No intention to kill

Around this case

• Manchester Crown Court
• Prosecuted by CPS North West
• Investigated by Greater Manchester Police