Today the 24-year-old appeared in the High Court at Hamilton, where he admitted killing his son in Te Kūiti on June 8, 2024.
He was set to go on trial defending charges of Mustafa‘s murder and two assault charges against his partner.
However, he today pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, assault with intent to injure between February 1, 2023, and May 31, 2023, and assaulting a person in a family relationship between June 2023 and June 2024.
Justice Layne Harvey convicted Ali, who didn’t pursue name suppression today, and remanded him in custody for sentencing in May.
He declined NZME’s application to take his photo.
‘Terminate the baby’
Court documents reveal Ali didn’t want his son to be born.
After learning of his new partner’s pregnancy in January 2023, he “immediately expressed concern” and encouraged her to terminate it.
However, the partner wanted the baby, and, initially, misled Ali, believing that she had miscarried.
Ali later became aware that she was still pregnant some months later, after finding a photo of her pregnancy scan, which she had hidden from him.
The pair argued, and Ali slapped her about the face “repeatedly” before pushing her down on the bed, placing his hands on her upper chest and around her neck.
A mourner holds a photo of Mustafa Ali during his funeral at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Te Kuiti on June 13, 2024. Photo / Mike Scott
He then jumped on top of her with his knees on her abdomen.
The victim didn’t require hospitalisation, and her unborn baby was not harmed.
The couple married in mid-July 2023, after meeting in September 2022, shortly before their son’s birth.
Their relationship remained “volatile” and, on several occasions, Ali pushed or punched her.
‘Floppy and cold to the touch’
On June 8, 2024, his partner woke to her son crying at 6am. She settled him in bed between her and Ali and went back to sleep.
She got up at 8am, leaving her son sleeping with Ali at 10.50am.
She asked Ali to give their son a bath and feed him in advance of family celebrations later that afternoon.
Mustafa had been unwell during the days prior, with a high temperature.
Some time after his partner left, Ali fed Mustafa a bottle and some Weet-Bix.
The baby vomited and was unsettled.
Ali tried to feed him again later in the morning, unsuccessfully.
Frustrated, Ali attempted to force-feed Mustafa his bottle, causing prominent bruises to his chin.
Unable to feed or settle him, Ali became “stressed and angry”.
During this time, Ali caused a fatal injury through a violent blow to his abdomen.
At 2.16pm, his partner returned to him and was met at the front door of the house by Ali holding Mustafa in his arms.
The toddler was “floppy and cold to the touch”.
Mukzameel Ali pictured holding his son, Mustafa Mahir Ali.
His partner grabbed her son and ran outside for help before the couple drove directly to Te Kūiti Hospital.
He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Mustafa died as a result of a crushing injury to his abdomen, lacerating his liver and the wall of his large bowel in two locations.
There was also bruising to his diaphragm, small bowel mesentery, and the back of his abdominal wall.
The injury to Mustafa’s liver was so severe that the bleeding into his abdomen would have started immediately after the injury was inflicted and continued uninterrupted until he died.
Court documents state that, given the extent of his injury, it was unlikely that Mustafa would have survived longer than 30 to 60 minutes, possibly sooner.
When initially spoken to by police, Ali said his son began to choke while feeding him, and the injury was likely caused by his subsequent attempt to perform CPR.
A post-mortem found that Mustafa had abscesses around either side of his larynx, and it was likely that eating Weetbix would have caused him “significant discomfort”.
He also had bruising behind each of his ears and a large bruise on top of his head.
The force required to cause Mustafa’s internal injury was not consistent with CPR procedures.
‘He was a happy and adorable boy’
Mourners farewelled the baby at a funeral at a Christian church on June 13, where hymns were sung, and garlands of white and blue balloons hung around the entrance.
Mustafa’s picture also shone out from a banner on display.
About 100 people attended the service, many wearing T-shirts printed with Mustafa’s face.
His funeral followed a private service for the family.
Mustafa’s mum later broke her silence, saying her son was a “happy and adorable boy”.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.