Derbyshire stepdad attempting to overturn conviction for murdering 10-month-old baby
Craig Crouch was jailed for a minimum of 28 years for the murder of Jacob Crouch
A stepfather jailed for life for the murder of a 10-month-old baby in Derbyshire is seeking leave to appeal against his sentence and conviction.
Craig Crouch was ordered to serve a minimum term of 28 years in August this year after being found guilty of causing "acute physical and mental suffering" to Jacob Crouch over six months, before a fatal attack in December 2020.
Crouch, 39, was found guilty of murder and three counts of child cruelty after a jury heard Jacob had 39 rib fractures, 19 visible bruises and internal injuries likened to those seen in car crash victims.
Jacob's mother, Gemma Barton, was also jailed for 10 years for causing or allowing his death and child cruelty, after being cleared of murder and manslaughter.
A seven-week trial heard Jacob was found dead in his cot at the family home in Foxley Chase, Linton, near Swadlincote, on the morning of December 30 2020.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Judicial Office confirmed that Crouch has filed an application for leave to appeal against both his conviction and the sentence he received.
No date has yet been set for a court hearing in relation to the proposed appeal.
Crouch, of Donisthorpe Lane, Leicestershire, and Barton, of Ray Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, were convicted after jurors were told Jacob died from an infection caused by a traumatic bowel injury.
It emerged in September that the couple would not have their sentences reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) said the Solicitor General was "deeply saddened and appalled by this case" but had concluded that it could not be referred to the Court of Appeal under the ULS scheme.
Referrals under the scheme can only be made if a sentence is unduly lenient, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances.
At his trial, Crouch denied all knowledge of how Jacob's multiple injuries were caused and suggested they were self-inflicted.