A man has been told he must serve a minimum of 22 years in prison for the “brutal, merciless and outrageous” murder of his five-year-old stepdaughter.
Nadia Zofia Kalinowska died after she was found with multiple injuries at her family home in Fernagh Drive, Newtownabbey, in December 2019.
At Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice O’Hara sentenced Abdul Wahab for repeatedly attacking and beating Nadia, who had suffered more than 70 injuries, including a fractured skull, over many months.
The judge said: “What Mr Wahab did to Nadia was brutal, merciless and outrageous.
“I do not believe in any way that Nadia’s injuries relate to her being clumsy or accident prone.”
Read more: Murder of five-year-old Nadia ‘ultimate betrayal of trust' – police
Nadia’s mother Aleksandra Wahab, 29, was sentenced to 11 years, half to be served in custody, for allowing the death of a child and allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm.
The Wahabs, of Fernagh Drive, were both originally charged with murder.
Earlier this year, Abdul Wahab pleaded guilty to the murder of Nadia as well as two charges of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Aleksandra Wahab pleaded guilty to the charges she was sentenced for.
At the time of their initial arrests, the Wahabs both claimed Nadia’s death was accidental.
