A judge at Liverpool Crown Court called for a minute’s silence to honour the memory of a thirteen-week-old baby boy after his parents were sentenced to life imprisonment for his murder.
Miguel Pirjani died having suffered injuries that medical examination revealed were not isolated to a single incident — fractures at various stages of healing across his body pointed to a sustained pattern of harm during his short life. The severe and irreversible brain injury that ultimately killed him came to light on 24 November 2024, when his father Klevi Pirjani called 999 saying the baby had “just stopped breathing.” Paramedics arrived to find Miguel in cardiac arrest. He was transferred to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool and placed on a ventilator but could not be saved.
Both parents were arrested and questioned. They declined to answer most questions put to them, providing prepared statements instead. The Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges of murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent against both Klevi Pirjani, of Percy Road in Seacombe, Wallasey, and Nivalda Pirjani in January 2025.
Their trial began at Liverpool Crown Court in October 2025. During proceedings, Nivalda Pirjani pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of a child and attempted to place responsibility solely on her husband. The CPS declined to accept that plea and the trial continued. On 29 October 2025, the jury found both parents guilty of all three charges.
At sentencing on 23 March 2026, Judge HHJ Andrew Barker imposed life sentences on both. Klevi Pirjani must serve a minimum of 19 years before being considered for parole. Nivalda Pirjani must serve a minimum of 15 years and three months. The judge also commended the paramedics who attended the scene and the staff at Alder Hey Hospital for their efforts.
Senior Crown Prosecutor Leigh-Ann Wardman of CPS Mersey-Cheshire said the two parents had been “in this together from the start,” each encouraging or assisting the other in inflicting serious injury on a child who “was not able to protect himself from those who should have cared and nurtured him.” She said the prosecution team hoped the outcome would provide “some sense of justice for Miguel’s wider family.”
