THE detective who led the investigation into a Blackburn couple who inflicted a catalogue of injuries on their baby described them as 'beastly' and 'abhorrent'.

Yesterday at Preston Crown Court, Nafisa and Mohammed Karolia were found guilty of child cruelty.

The couple, of Meadow Close, Blackburn, hid their seven- month-old daughter from health visitors until her death in June 2009.

The Karolias put forward her identical sibling ‘Twin A’ to health workers as ‘Twin M’, swapped certificates and made up excuses as to why she wasn’t at home.

The child, Twin M, died of bronchopneumonia.

Every day for six weeks the Karolias arrived at court with their faces covered from the waiting media.

They treated it as a game, laughing once inside the court building or a waiting car.

But they were a picture of remorse and solemnity in the dock with their heads bowed.

Following the verdict, DI Pete Broome, described the couple as ‘beastly and abhorrent’ and said they had ‘not showed a ficker of remorse’.

He said: “This little girl suffered horrendous injuries, which we believe were inflicted by both her mother and father so we’re really pleased with the verdict.

“This was a truly horrific and tragic crime committed by two parents who have shown no remorse for their actions and have failed to offer any sort of explanation for what they did.”

“This couple have never shown a flicker of remorse,” he added.

“The emotions they showed in court were for themselves and the predicament they find themselves in.

“I cannot understand how anybody worthy of the name parents could leave a child suffering in that manner.

“I can only describe this as a bestial crime – that is what they are: beastly.

“This is one of the most extreme cases I have come across.

"A seven-month-old child, a babe in arms, completely and utterly incapable of defending herself has been subjected to the most horrendous violence.”

He said that in two years investigating the case, the question still remained as to why Twin M was singled out for abuse.

“The only two people who know if these babies were swapped over are the parents.

“Therein lies some of the worst aspects of this case because the surviving twin may never know who she really was at birth.

"The only two who truly know if those babies were swapped are the two people in custody.

“It is entirely possible that girl will never know whether she was Child A or Child B at birth.

"Having that hanging over you for the rest of your life is something a sentence I wouldn’t like.

“That must be the most corrosive aspect to come out of this case."

Blackburn with Darwen Council said the family were not being monitored by children’s services at the time of Twin M’s death as it had not been notified of any concerns.

However, mother Nafisa had been in care up to the age of 16.

She was receiving help from a health visitor from Lancashire Care Foundation Trust but the court heard there was nothing to suggest either twin was at risk.

Linda Clegg, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s director of children’s safeguarding and protection, also speaking on behalf of the trust, said: “This is an extremely sad and tragic case, it has been distressing for all concerned.

“All the usual procedures that the council has to carry out in relation to the child’s death have been fulfilled by the local authority and its partners and we are continuing to support the welfare of Child M’s siblings.

“Unfortunately, given the outstanding family court proceedings in this case, the local authority is not in a position to comment further.”

Police and prosecutors remain in the dark as to why one of the identical twins was singled out and not the other and the parents chose not to give evidence during the trial.

Both were girls, born minutes apart, sleeping in the same cot in the same bedroom.

Only a slight difference in their growth rates separated the two.

Professor Kevin Browne, a member of The British Psychological Society and chairman of Forensic Psychology and Child Health at the University of Nottingham, said it was ‘very unusual’ for one twin to be singled out for abuse in this way.

He said: “There must be some characteristic that either was perceived by them, or actually existed, to make them distinguish between the two.

“What I would expect is there was some deficiency in one and not the other – otherwise you would expect the other to be treated the same way.

“Perhaps their intention was to have a single child and having twins upset the family, but you would still expect both to get the same treatment.

“If you have twins, or children born less than 18 months apart, it marginally increases the probability of abuse and neglect occurring in the family for a child under five.

“It is a low weighted risk factor.”

Professor Browne said Nafisa Karolia having previously been in care herself could have played a part in her actions.

He said: “Parent abuse as a child or having experience of living in care has a medium risk factor – you have about eight times more chance of abusing a child.

“But again you would expect it to apply to both twins.

“They must have had negative thoughts and feelings to the twin that died that were different to the child that apparently they didn’t abuse.

“However, the surviving twin will have significant consequences over the loss and the cruelty that she witnessed to her twin.

"She will suffer from severe emotional abuse.”