Sara Ege given life sentence for murdering son over Koran studies

From the BBC

A mother who beat her seven-year-old son when he failed to memorise passages from the Koran has been given a life sentence for his murder.

Sara Ege, 33, killed Yaseen Ege at their home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, in July 2010 and set fire to his body. She was convicted in December after a five-week trial. The judge has set a minimum tariff of 17 years. Her husband Yousuf Ege, a taxi driver, was cleared of allowing the death of a child by failing to protect him.

Sara Ege was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. She had pleaded not guilty to murder and claimed her husband was responsible for Yaseen's death.

It was initially thought Yaseen had died in a fire, but tests later revealed he had died hours earlier.

In it, (a harrowing confession later retracted) Sara Ege described how Yaseen collapsed after she had beaten him while still murmuring extracts of the Koran. "He was breathing as if he was asleep when I left him," she said. "He was still murmuring the same thing over and over again. I thought that he was just tired." When she returned 10 minutes later she said she found her son shaking and shivering on the floor.

He then died. She then used barbecue gel to burn her son's body in an attempt to hide the evidence

She and her husband had enrolled Yaseen in advanced classes at their local mosque as they wanted him to become Hafiz - an Islamic term for someone who memorises the Koran. As a child Sara Ege had taken part in competitions showing her knowledge of Islam and had recited from the Koran. The court heard that she become increasingly frustrated with her son's inability to learn the passages.

The trial heard that Yaseen suffered significant abdominal injuries that were the cause of his death. They included fractures which were non-accidental. He also had numerous historical injuries.

"Sara Ege made no attempt to seek the medical attention he so obviously needed,"