Parents who murdered their 13-week-old son after campaign of abuse have their 'unduly lenient' life sentence minimum terms increased

An evil couple who battered their three-month-old son to death have today been ordered to serve extra prison time after judges deemed their previous punishments ‘unduly lenient’.Miguel Pirjani, aged just 13 weeks, died in November 2024 after being 'systematically abused' by his parents.The tiny youngster was left with 41 broken bones and a bleed on the brain, having seemingly been subjected to repeated assaults during his tragically short life. He died in hospital.Miguel's father Klevi Pirjani, 37, and mother Nivalda Pirjani, 34, had tried to blame each other for the murder but both were unanimously convicted by a jury in October last year.In March, Klevi Pirjani and Nivalda Pirjani were sentenced to life terms with minimum tariffs of at least 19 years and 15 years and three months, respectively.Attorney General Ellie Reeves referred Klevi and Nivalda Pirjani’s sentences to the Court of Appeal as ‘unduly lenient’ in April – with barristers telling a hearing today that they did not ‘meet the justice of this terrible case’.Three senior judges agreed, increasing Klevi Pirjani’s minimum term to one of 21 years and six months, and Nivalda Pirjani’s to 17 years and nine months.Lord Justice Jeremy Baker – sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mr Justice Hilliard – said the pair subjected their son to ‘routine’ assaults which increased in severity and culminated in his ‘particularly callous’ murder. Murderous father Klevi Pirjani, left, appeared to shed crocodile tears when he and wife Nivalda Pirjani, right, were handed life sentences over the death of their son in MarchHe said: ‘We take the view that the resulting sentences significantly underestimated the aggravating factors, to the extent that not only do we consider that the minimum terms were unduly lenient, but that we should set them aside.’Bill Emlyn Jones KC, for the Attorney General, said in written submissions that Miguel’s death was caused by an assault by his parents on November 24 2024, which involved ‘a heavy blow, or series of blows, to the right side of his head’.Sentencing the couple at Liverpool Crown Court in March, Mr Justice Andrew Baker said the pair were ‘in this together, encouraging each other’ to attack their 'defenceless' son.He said that who ‘fatally battered’ the infant ‘remains the guilty secret of a warped relationship, in which you came first for each other to an unnatural degree’.Emlyn Jones, for the Attorney General, said in court that the original sentences passed ‘simply (did) not reflect the vulnerability of the victim and the gross breach of trust this murder constituted’.Rupert Bowers KC, for Nivalda Pirjani, acknowledged in court that ‘of course’ her sentence was lenient, but that the sentencing judge ‘considered all of the factors’.Sarah Vine KC, for Klevi Pirjani, also said her client’s sentence was ‘undoubtedly lenient, but not unduly, and leniency in itself is not a vice’.The couple, watching proceedings from HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire and HMP Styal in Cheshire respectively, showed no reaction as their sentences were increased. Floral tributes to Miguel Pirjani piled up outside the family home in Seacombe, WirralIt contrasts with the sentencing hearing in March when Klevi Pirjani wiped away crocodile tears as he and his wife were handed life sentences for killing Miguel, who he had referred to as a 'monster' and 'it'.A post-mortem examination found Miguel died from the irreversible effects of severe trauma to the head and neck.Mr Justice Baker said: 'I am sure that the fatal trauma Miguel suffered involved a heavy blow or series of blows to the right side of his head. Precisely how that was inflicted, I cannot say.'The judge said it was 'more probable' that Miguel's head was battered by his father but he added: 'What exactly happened to Miguel that morning remains the guilty secret of a warped relationship. The interest of Team Klevi and Nivalda came first.'There must have been an escalation in the violence against Miguel in the final few days, culminating in the assault on the 24th of November. You were in this together, encouraging each other.'Miguel died at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, when his life support machine was switched off five days after emergency services were called to the family home in Seacombe, Wirral. Arrest footage of Klevi Pirjani which was released by Merseyside Police after sentencing Miguel's mother Nivalda Pirjani pictured at the time she was arrested for murdering her sonKlevi Pirjani had called 999 shortly before midday on November 24 2024 to report that Miguel was unresponsive, telling the operator: 'It just stopped breathing.'During the trial, Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors his reference to Miguel as ‘it’ was ‘a matter for you to consider in due course as to whether this was a product of distress on his part, a language barrier or an unintended indication of his attitude towards Miguel'.Doctors subsequently discovered that Miguel had sustained bruising on the left side of his head, while a CT scan found a fissure to his skull and bleeding on the brain, in addition to fractures to his right collarbone, left upper arm and left shin.These broken bones were said to have been of varying age. Miguel remained in an unconscious state and his injuries were ultimately found to be 'irreversible'