Sara Ege

Case details

Sara Ege was convicted of murder and perverting the course of justice at Cardiff Crown Court for killing her son, Yaseen Ege, a seven-year-old Asian Muslim boy. She received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years on January 7, 2013.

Timeline

• July 2010 — Yaseen Ege was killed at his home in Cardiff, in the United Kingdom.
• 2003 — Concerns regarding domestic violence were raised to a women’s safety unit, though they were not reported to the police or children’s services.
• 2007 — Further reports of domestic violence were made, with delays in making referrals to children’s services.
• November 1, 2012 — Cardiff Crown Court heard evidence and allegations during the trial.
• November 6, 2012 — A teaching assistant told Cardiff Crown Court the boy had said his mother hit his hand with a ruler at home.
• November 16, 2012 — A jury heard that Yaseen missed school because he did not have a teddy bear to take to a children’s party; the trial continued.
• December 5, 2012 — A jury found Sara Ege guilty of murder and of perverting the course of justice; sentencing was expected in the new year.
• January 7, 2013 — Sara Ege was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.

Background

Sara Ege was described as a mother who treated Yaseen as someone who needed to memorise the Koran. Yaseen was taught the Koran before and after school due to his parents’ desires that he become a hafiz. His mother said that Yaseen’s memorisation would have increased the family’s standing in the local community. She became frustrated with Yaseen’s inability to memorise the Koran.

In the months preceding his death, Yaseen was routinely beaten. The case review by Cardiff’s safeguarding children board found that, in 2003, concerns regarding domestic violence were raised to a women’s safety unit but were not reported to the police or children’s services. Further reports of domestic violence were made in 2007, and there were delays in making referrals to children’s services. When the referral was received by children’s services, it was not possible initially to contact the family because they were away from the UK for several weeks. Police and children’s services tried to follow up when they returned, but the mother declined offers of intervention and said the matter had been resolved. The review also said that after Yaseen started school, there were “one or two occasions” when teachers became concerned about his health and wellbeing. They contacted his mother to say that he should be taken to the doctor, but these concerns were “not referred for consideration under the inter-agency child protection procedures” and did not come to the attention of children’s services or the police until after his death.

Cardiff’s safeguarding children board accepted recommendations from the serious case review and drew up an action plan to monitor implementation.

The offence

Sara Ege killed her son, Yaseen Ege, at their home in Cardiff, in the United Kingdom, in July 2010.

On the day of his death, Sara kept Yaseen at home from school to focus on memorising the Koran. She was angry at his lack of progress and attacked him. Yaseen collapsed but continued to murmur extracts of the Koran. Sara undressed him, gave him some milk, and then dragged him to his bedroom. Sara said he was repeatedly muttering the same verse and that she thought he was just tired and left him. She returned to the room a few minutes later and found Yaseen convulsing on the floor before dying soon after.

Sara used barbecue gel to burn her son’s body to destroy the evidence and set fire to the family home. It was initially thought that Yaseen had died in the blaze, but investigations proved he had died several hours earlier. Pathologists discovered broken ribs, a fractured arm, and a fractured finger among other injuries. Lighter fuel was found on Sara’s clothing.

Sara told police officers: “I was getting more and more frustrated. If he didn’t read it properly I would be very angry – I would hit him.”

In court, she said she had hit Yaseen: “with a stick on his back like a dog”

Investigation

Investigators found that Yaseen had died before the fire began. Lighter fuel was found on Sara’s clothing after the post-mortem examination.

Arrest and custody

Police arrested Sara after the post-mortem examination and after investigations established that Yaseen died before the blaze began.

After she was charged, she was sectioned and sent to a psychiatric unit for several months.

Trial

The trial took place at Cardiff Crown Court and was described as a five-week trial. Sara denied beating Yaseen to death and setting fire to his body in July 2010, and she also denied perverting the course of justice.

The prosecution case included evidence of abuse and allegations that Yaseen had been beaten repeatedly and kept in a shed and tied to a door as punishment for failing at his studies.

Teacher evidence

A teacher and a teaching assistant gave evidence about Yaseen’s condition at school. A teaching assistant said Yaseen told her that his mother had struck his hand with a ruler at home. The assistant reported concerns to a teacher and headteacher, and Mrs Ege was asked to see the headteacher when she came to collect Yaseen from school that day.

A teacher observed that Yaseen’s handwriting was untidy and that he was using his left hand rather than his right one. Yaseen explained that his hand hurt because his mother had struck him with a ruler.

Confession evidence and retraction

Sara made a confession to police in which she admitted killing Yaseen. She later retracted the confession. In connection with later accounts and the video recording, the court heard that she said she had decided to burn the body and that her reason was: “I was too nervous”

Sara also retracted her prior admissions and told police the accounts were lies.

Husband’s position and outcome at trial

Yaseen’s father, Yousef Ege (also referred to as Yousuf Ege), denied causing or allowing the death of a child by failing to protect him. He was cleared of allowing the death of a child by failing to act to prevent the abuse.

Sara accused her husband, Yousef, of being a violent person who beat her and her son and was responsible for Yaseen’s death. She also accused her husband and his brother of acting together to kill Yaseen and burn his body, but her husband was cleared.

Sentencing

At sentencing, Sara Ege was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years on January 7, 2013, after she was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice.

The judge’s remarks included: “the cause of the beating was your unreasonable view that he wasn't learning passages quickly enough”.

The judge also said: “The violence Yaseen suffered was not confined to the day of his death,”

and: “For three months you beat him often with a wooden pestle and I'm confident these beatings left him in a significant amount of pain.

“This prolonged cruelty culminated on the day of his death in what was a savage attack.

“You then set fire to his body in an attempt to evade responsibility for what you had done.

“I accept you were a devoted and caring mum.

“Except for the obsession with Yaseen learning you did many fine things to bring him up as a young boy.

“In killing your son you abused a precious relationship of trust which does and should exist between a parent and a child.”

Sara had to be helped in court as she collapsed when the sentence was delivered.

In addition to life imprisonment for murder, she was given a four-year sentence for perverting the course of justice.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

Sara Ege was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice. Her husband, Yousef Ege, was cleared of allowing the death of a child by failing to protect him.

Other details

Abuse allegations and school circumstances

Yaseen was taught the Koran before and after school. His parents’ goal was for him to become a hafiz. He struggled to memorise. A teacher observed concern about his health and wellbeing on “one or two occasions,” including concerns relayed to his mother that he should be taken to the doctor, but these were not referred for inter-agency child protection procedures until after his death.

A court heard that Yaseen missed school because he did not have a teddy bear to take to a children’s party: “He was not at school on the day he died because it was a teddy bears' picnic. Yaseen didn't have a teddy bear so he didn't go. The last time I saw my son he looked fine. He was very happy and had written out a list of things he was going to do in the summer holidays.”

Family and community comments

Ann James, head teacher at Radnor Primary School in Cardiff, said of Yaseen: “He was a delightful little boy and beautifully behaved who always had a smile on his face,” and: “It was a pleasure having him in school with us.”

After the sentencing, Mr Ege, described as a taxi driver, said: “He was loved by all who had known him due to his beautiful nature and his high academic level. I would like to thank all my family, friends for the endless support through these difficult times and I would like to thank all the people who sent messages of condolences.”

Psychological and spiritual explanations described in court

Sara told the court that evil spirits called Jinn lived at her Cardiff address, and that she heard voices in her head on a regular basis. She also referenced the Devil and said: “They say the same thing. That my life is not worth living and I will be dead soon,”

Quote about retracted confession and video interview

The trial involved a video recording of Sara’s interview with police, in which she said: “I was trying to teach him the Koran but he was not very good. I was getting more and more frustrated, if he didn't read it properly I would be very angry. I would hit him. We had a high target, I wanted him to learn 35 pages in three months. I promised him a new bike if he could do it. But Yaseen wasn't very good - after a year of practice he had only learned a chapter.”