A couple who allegedly swapped their twin babies to hide fatal injuries was sentenced to a five-year jail term yesterday.

Mohammed Karolia, 29, along with his wife Nafisa, 22, was accused of hiding injuries from the authorities.

The baby girl had broken ribs and arms, brain damage, injuries on legs, head, ears and nose, but the cause of her death was not a result of these injuries. She was seven months old, reported The Mirror.

Taxi driver, Karolia, and his wife abused one twin but cared for the other, Preston Crown Court was told.

Earlier police had launched an investigation after emergency services received a call that a baby girl had stopped breathing.

The baby girl was taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead later. However, the postmortem showed over 20 injuries, including a broken rib, leg and arm caused by pressing, slanting or shaking.

A social activist realized the differences in the head, weight and height dimensions taken earlier from the baby girl.

Prosecutor Joe Boyd told the jury that growth charts for the twin girls showed that the parents swapped the babies to hide the injuries.

However, the Karolias of Blackburn were in a denial mode without even a flicker of remorse.