Islamic Preacher Who Raped and Beat his five-year-old Daughter to Death is Jailed for Just Eight Years

Fayhan al-Ghamdi, a Saudi Arabian Islamic preacher accused of torturing his five-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to just eight years in jail and 600 lashes.

Lama al-Ghamdi died in October 2012 after suffering multiple injuries. Her skull was crushed, a finger nail had been pulled off, her ribs and arm broken and she suffered extensive bruising and burns.

The case sent shockwaves around the world earlier this year and there was further outrage when it appeared that her father, would be released by a Saudi court after just a few months in prison.

 "My dear child is dead, and all I want now is justice so I can close my eyes and know she didn't die in vain. She was brutally tortured in the most shocking ways." The mother, Syeda Mohammed Ali, told CNN.

A campaign began to force the court, in the town of Hawta, to stiffen the sentence.

The same court and judge july re-examined the case, but there is anger once more that the punishment for Al-Ghamdi, a prominent Islamist preacher who regularly appears on television in Saudi Arabia, is too lenient.

Earlier this year activists from the group Women to Drive said the preacher had doubted Lama's virginity and had her checked up by a medic.

Randa al-Kaleeb, a social worker from the hospital where Lama was admitted, said the girl's back was broken and that she had been repeatedly raped, though this was denied by her mother.

Rather than the death penalty or a long prison sentence, the judge in the case ruled the prosecution could only seek 'blood money', according to activists.

The money is compensation for the next of kin under Islamic law.

Activists said the judge ruled the few months al-Ghamdi spent in prison since his arrest in November 2012 was sufficient punishment.

He has reportedly agreed to pay £31,000 ($50,000), which is believed to have gone to Lama's mother.

The amount is half that would have been paid if Lama had been a boy.

A social media campaign quickly gained momentum after the ruling was publicised. Manal al-Sharif launched a campaign on Twitter using the hashtag 'Ana Lama', which means ‘I am Lama’, calling for better protection for children and women.