A baby boy, Miguel, tragically died after sustaining severe and irreversible injuries at his family home on Percy Road in Seacombe, Wirral, on November 24, 2024. Emergency services arrived within minutes to find the child in cardiac arrest, and he was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
Doctors found extensive trauma, including bruising to the head, a skull fissure, bleeding on the brain, and fractures to his collarbone, arm, and shin. A post-mortem later revealed additional injuries, including retinal hemorrhages, displaced skull bones, bleeding around the cervical cord, and a fatal hypoxic ischemic brain injury. Prosecutors described the injuries as evidence of a “course of conduct” causing serious and obvious harm.
Klevi Pirjani, Miguel’s father, told the court about his traumatic childhood in Albania during the Balkan War, claiming he had always acted as the “best dad” he could be, attending all medical appointments and caring for his son. He denied any violence toward Miguel and said he immediately sought help when the baby became unwell. Pirjani described his wife Nivalda’s behaviour as “aggressive” due to postnatal depression but denied being abusive or controlling.
On the night before Miguel’s death, Pirjani said he found the baby coughing and unwell, immediately called an ambulance, and stayed with him en route to the hospital. He insisted he had acted responsibly and in Miguel’s best interests, denying any attempt to coordinate stories with his wife.
Prosecutors, however, argued that both parents were responsible for systematic physical abuse that led to Miguel’s death, highlighting evidence of rib fractures of varying ages, inconsistent with CPR, indicating non-accidental injury.
Both Klevi Pirjani and Nivalda Santos Pirjani deny charges of murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, with Klevi also denying causing or allowing the death of a child. The court continues to examine the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding Miguel’s death.
