Overview

• The Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership review found Abiyah was seen by only a handful of professionals whose limited visits failed to detect severe malnutrition, rickets, anaemia and stunted growth.
• Investigators determined authorities showed insufficient curiosity about Tai and Naiyahmi Yasharahyalah’s self-invented belief system, including an extreme vegan diet that led to chronic malnutrition.
• The report identifies that parental resistance and the 2020 coronavirus lockdown hindered planned welfare checks and allowed Abiyah’s declining health to go unnoticed.
• Tai and Naiyahmi were convicted at Coventry Crown Court in December 2024 and received prison sentences of 24½ and 19½ years for causing their son’s death and hiding his body in their garden.
• The review urges child protection workers to probe unconventional cultural practices without fear of discrimination and to adopt protocols ensuring regular checks for children living off-grid.