A father found guilty of killing his adopted daughter at home before heading to Tesco has been jailed for life.

Jan Gholami had created a false alibi to establish he was not in the family home at the time two-year-old Zahra sustained her fatal injuries.

Former farm worker Gholami, 34, brought the tot to the UK from Afghanistan, just months before her death.

Prosecutors said the father-of-four had taken out his “bad temper” on her by “bashing her head against a wall” while he had claimed she had fallen down 13 stairs while at home with his partner.

But at Maidstone Crown Court last month, jurors convicted Gholami of murder in a majority verdict of 10 to two after deliberating for nearly 20 hours.

Now, Mr Justice Wall has given him a life sentence where he will serve a minimum of 23 years and six months before he could be considered for parole.

The judge said: "This was not an isolated injury and the fatal injury was a re-fracture on a previous injury.

"You killed a vulnerable and defenceless young child in her own home.

"Zahra would have been in obvious pain after receiving those injuries, despite this you did nothing to help her."

He rejected Gholami's claim that he had gone to the doctors for help, adding: "You were responsible for the injuries. You put your interest ahead of the interest of Zahra."

Gholami remained impassive as the judge told him he had inflicted injuries on his wife who lived in fear of him.

He added that the treatment of the female members of his family was "brutal and brutish".

Wife Roqia Ghulami, 33, was acquitted of murder but was found guilty of child neglect.

Today, she was jailed for two years. As she has been in custody since the incident, it is expected she will be released soon.

Zahra had been admitted with serious injuries to the A&E department at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford on May 27, 2020, during the first Covid lockdown. She was later transferred to a London hospital but died two days later.

Jurors acquitted her adoptive mum Ghulami, of murder but couldn’t agree on whether she had been cruel to Zahra who the pair had claimed fell down 13 stairs.

But it was the prosecution’s case they believed that her partner Gholami went to the supermarket to create a false alibi and it was he who inflicted the fatal injuries to the toddler before he left.

The court was shown photographs of Gholami taking another of the couple’s children to a nearby Tesco Express, leaving Zahra and her adoptive mother at their home in Oak Road, Gravesend.

He claimed when he returned from the trip, Zahra was discovered with injuries and his partner claimed she fell down some stairs.

Speaking through a Dari interpreter, he said in evidence: “I was glad to have Zahra and treated her as well if not better than my other three children.”

But the jury heard how Gholami was regarded as a bully to his wife.

Zahra’s adoptive mother did not give evidence in the trial and chose to remain silent. She claimed she heard a noise and then discovered the child injured.

During the trial the court was shown an adoption certificate for Zahra dated July 15, 2017, which had been approved by elders in Afghanistan following the death of her biological mother.

On January 29, 2018, Gholami was granted leave to remain in the UK and a year later Ghulami applied for asylum in the UK.

She was interviewed in January 2019 and told Home Office officials she had three children, including Zahra.

She was helped by the Red Cross, which funded her travel to the UK under a “reunion Visa” scheme and arrived on May 20, 2019.

The jury heard how the charity then made a “request for support” to Kent County Council and she initially lived in Wallis Park, Gravesend.

In February 2020, the family moved to Oak Road just a few weeks before Zahra died.

DC Kerry Adams showed the court video and still images of the family, the inside and outside of their home, and footage of Gholami going to the Tesco store with one of their children.

Prosecutor Sally Howes KC said Zahia had been taken to Darent Valley Hospital by her adoptive dad Jan Gholami.

“It was noted immediately by hospital staff she was floppy and unresponsive and her breathing was shallow. Her heart rate was slow and her blood pressure high.

“She had a large swelling to the back of her head.

“He told doctors that Zahra had injured herself in an unwitnessed fall down the stairs at home while he was away at a local Tesco.”

The prosecutor claimed that when Gholami was later arrested by police, he produced a receipt from the supermarket.

On May 27, Gholami was arrested and replied: “Why are they taking me to a police station? What have I done? I have enough worries. My child is in a coma.

“I don’t know anything about what happened to the child because I was not at home. I was at Tesco. I don’t know what happened.”

After producing the receipt he added: “I am a Muslim. You can’t blame me for these things. There are cameras. Whatever happened I was not at home.”

A paediatric consultant, who works at Darent Valley’s A&E department, also told of how Gholami was “keen to show” them a supermarket receipt as doctors were dealing with her injuries.

Medical evidence provided by specialists concluded that the fatal injury was likely to have been caused by Zahra being thrown to the floor or against a wall, with doctors noting that there was no bruising on Zahra’s legs or arms, which is likely when a person falls down a flight of stairs.

During the trial the jury heard of previous incidents involving the couple including one where Jan was witnessed to have assaulted Roqia in the street.

He had served a short jail term in connection with these incidents.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ross Gurden said: “Zahra had her life taken away from her by two people who had a responsibility to love and care for her.

“Jan inflicted the injuries on Zahra whilst Roqia was completely aware of his behaviour and failed to intervene and prevent Zahra from being injured.

“Zahra would have been six now, she would have started school and would be learning about the world around her, but instead her young life was cut short through violence inflicted by Jan, who should have been caring for her.

“Little Zahra was devastatingly let down by those who had promised to take care of her...”

“I want to commend the jury who were a part of this trial. Incidents like this are thankfully rare but they played a hugely important role in securing justice for the very people who betrayed Zahra.’

The two, from Afghanistan, had their sentences translated by Dari interpreters and both sat at either end of the dock at Maidstone Crown Court during the three hour hearing.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “This is a profoundly sad case. Zahra was entrusted into the care of Gholami, after her mother died when she was born.

"But instead of treating her with love and care, he violently abused her, taking her life.

“Very young children are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they are completely reliant on the adults around them for care and protection.

"‘Bright’ and ‘curious’ little Zahra was devastatingly let down by those who had promised to take care of her.

“It’s crucial that anyone who has concerns for a child’s safety or welfare contacts the local authorities, the police or the NSPCC Helpline, so that help can be provided and children protected.”