24 April 2004	Saturday	03 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

TORONTO, April 23: The father and stepmother of a five-year- old girl, Farah Khan, were convicted on Thursday of murdering the child four years ago and disposing of parts of her dismembered body in two lakeside parks here.

A 12-member jury, including six women, sentenced Mohammad Arsal Khan, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, to life in prison with no parole for 25 years. His second wife, Kaneez Fatima, is also facing a life sentence with no parole for 25 years.

However, the majority of jurors recommended to Judge David Watt that Ms Fatima serve at least 15 years behind bars. She will be formally sentenced on May 5. The court heard that the 40-year-old man, was enraged when his daughter kept asking him to buy her a $10 set of school photographs. In a fit of rage, he chased her around in their apartment and clubbed her with a rolling pin.

He denied killing the child, saying she had slashed her own throat and died in his arms. His lawyer, Todd Ducharme, said afterward that his client was "disappointed" by the verdict.

Lawyer John Collins told the jury that his client, Ms Fatima, was pushed away when she tried to stop her husband from killing the girl. She was warned through threats not to call police.