Cruel dad jailed for starving son, 3, to death is injured after horror attack in prison

Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah subjected their three-year-old son Abiyah to "breathtaking cruelty" and then buried his body in their back garden in Handsworth, Birmingham

A heartless dad who caused the death of his three-year-old son and then buried his body in his garden has been attacked twice in prison.

Tai Yasharahyalah showed no obvious emotion in the dock as he was jailed for 24-and-a-half years on Thursday. He had been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing after he and wife Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah were convicted of perverting the course of justice, causing or allowing the death of a child, and what was described as "breathtaking" child neglect.

Before even beginning his sentence, Tai Yasharahyalah, 42, has twice been attacked in custody, his barrister said. The former fitness instructor appeared in the dock with a two-inch linear red mark between his eyebrows.

Bernard Tetlow KC, defending the dad at Coventry Crown Court today, said: "Finally this, the prison is of course a very difficult place for anyone - but particularly those in a case such as this. Unfortunately Mr Yasharahyalah has already been, in the short time he's been in custody, attacked twice, once on his way to this court today.

"He's got a scar on his forehead from that attack whilst he was in the lobby area waiting for transport. I know it's difficult to reflect these things but inevitably it's going to be a difficult regime."

Both parents "played a part in starving" Abiyah when it would have been obvious he needed medical care, the court heard. Naiyahmi, who appeared in court wearing a white fur-style coat, was sentenced to 19-and-a-half years on Thursday.

Mr Justice Wall said the fact the couple had taken no photographs of the boy in the last four months of his life was "a clear sign that you realised by then how sick he was." Sentencing the cruel pair, said: "You were driven to develop this system by your distrust of big pharma and other Western organisations. You came to believe that any contact with the authorities would result in your data being obtained and misused in ways which you were not convincingly able to explain in evidence.

"By the time of Abiyah's exhumation there was nothing left but his skeleton. You both claimed in evidence that Abiyah was happy and healthy right up until his last short illness. That was simply untrue. Many of the signs of his disease were obvious. I am sure that you did not miss them."

Tai and his wife denied the charges against them, telling the court they did not act wilfully and believed Abiyah would recover from a flu-like condition.