Saudi Arabian Preacher Who Beat His Five-year-old Daughter to Death Is Jailed for Just Eight Years and Sentenced to 600 Lashes

MAIL ONLINE: Lama al-Ghamdi's back was broken and she had been raped and burned / She died in October 2012 from her injuries after ten months in hospital / Her father Fayhan, a prominent Islamist preacher, admitted beating her but was originally freed after agreeing to pay £31,000 compensation / A campaign succeeded in bringing about a stiffer sentence

A Saudi Islamic preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to just eight years in jail and 600 lashes.

Lama al-Ghamdi died in October 2012 having suffered multiple injuries. Her skull was crushed, a finger nail had been pulled off, her ribs and arm broken and she suffered extensive bruising and burns.

There were also reports that she’d been repeatedly raped, though this was denied by her mother.

The case sent shockwaves around the world earlier this year and there was further outrage when it appeared that her father, Fayhan al-Ghamdi, would be released by a Saudi court after just a few months in prison.

The mother, Syeda Mohammed Ali, told CNN in February: 'My dear child is dead, and all I want now is justice so I can close my eyes and know she didn't die in vain. She was brutally tortured in the most shocking ways.' » | Ted Thornhill | Tuesday, October 08, 2013