Bedfordshire couple jailed, after lying about child’s head injuries
The couple have been sentenced after medical experts determined that their explanation for a child’s severe head injuries was inconsistent with the evidence
A couple have been sentenced to prison after giving false accounts to police about how a child in their care, in Bedfordshire - sustained severe head injuries that medical experts determined to be non-accidental.
Police became involved in September 2020 when ambulance services were called to a home in Wymington where a one-year-old child was found with a fractured skull, a brain bleed, and unexplained bruising.
Hayley Best, 37, from Rushden and Steven Buckley, 32, from Wellingborough - claimed the injuries occurred when the child fell from a chair onto the hard kitchen floor. Neither had witnessed the incident and initially delayed seeking medical help, asserting that the child showed no immediate adverse effects.
Messages later revealed that Best had contacted a friend, describing the child as vomiting and asking for advice. The friend arrived, saw that the child appeared pale and lifeless, and insisted on calling an ambulance despite Best’s reassurances. The child was rushed to hospital and placed in intensive care.
Medical experts concluded that the injuries were inconsistent with the explanation provided and were instead deemed to be the result of non-accidental harm.
Following a four-week trial at Luton Crown Court, both Best and Buckley were found guilty of causing or allowing serious harm to a child.
On Friday, 10 January, Best, of Headingley Road, Rushden, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. Buckley, of Priory Road, Wellingborough, received a seven-year sentence with an additional three-year extended licence period.
Detective Constable Charlie Sermons, who led the investigation, stated: “This was a particularly upsetting and complex case, as it involved a young child who sustained serious injuries.
“Both Best and Buckley remained consistent in their version of events, blaming an unwitnessed fall that had been ruled out by medical experts, but neither could offer any further explanation as the cause of such significant injuries.
“There was also a significant delay in seeking medical attention as they attempted to try and cover up what had happened.
“Protecting children from harm is everyone’s responsibility, which is why it is important for anyone with concerns that a child is being neglected, exploited or abused, to report it. We must all play our part in protecting children.”