Couple who murdered three-month-old son jailed

A couple from Wirral who murdered their three-month-old son have been jailed for life.

Miguel Pirjani was found unresponsive when emergency services were called to the baby's home in Percy Road, Seacombe, in November 2024.

Klevi and Nivaldi Pirjani said their son had simply stopped breathing but scans at Alder Hey Children's Hospital - where he died five days later - revealed he had suffered a fractured skull and scores of other fractures in the previous weeks.

After their trial in October, Albanian national Klevi Pirjani, 37, and Nivalda Santos Pirjani, 35, who is Portuguese, were found guilty of murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and causing grievous bodily harm.

Klevi Pirjani has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to more than 17-and-a-half years in prison, while Nivalda Santos Pirjani has been jailed for nearly 14 years.

Det Insp Holly Chance, from Merseyside Police, said the Pirjanis never explained why such horrendous injuries had been inflicted on the defenceless baby.

"Baby Miguel should have just felt love and affection from his parents but instead, in that short life, he has been inflicted with the worst possible pain that we could ever imagine," she said.

"This was a tragic and extremely distressing case for me and my team to investigate.

"Baby Miguel's life was cut short at the hands of his parents who were meant to nurture and protect him from harm.

"We hope this sentencing provides some sense of justice for Miguel's wider family who won't be able to see him grow up, and our thoughts remain with them."

The Crown Prosecution Service said Miguel had been "totally reliant on his parents for his wellbeing, yet they were responsible for his murder and neither did anything to prevent it".

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