Cumbrian woman jailed for murdering little boy she wanted to adopt
One year old Leiland-James Corkill died in January last year
Last updated 25th May 2022
A woman who was hoping to adopt a one year old boy from Cumbria has been jailed for his murder.
Today (25th May), the trail at Preston Crown Court heard how 38 year old Laura Castle had beaten and slapped the boy before fatally shaking him and banging his head against a hard surface.
One year old Leiland-James Corkill died in January last year - just 5 months after going into the care of Laura Castle and her partner Scott.
The youngster was a "looked-after child" who was taken into care at birth before he was approved to live with his prospective adoptive parents in Barrow-in-Furness from August 2020.
Laura Castle rang for an ambulance on the morning of January 6 last year and reported that Leiland-James had fallen off the sofa, injured his head and was struggling to breathe.
The little boy died the following day as hospital medics raised concerns over the defendant's account.
Laura Castle maintained the death was a tragic accident until the day the jury was sworn in last month for her trial at Preston Crown Court.
She entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter and went on to say that she had shaken Leiland-James because he would not stop crying, and his head hit the armrest of the sofa before he fell off her knee on to the floor.
However, medical experts told the court that the degree of force required to cause his injuries would have been "severe" and likely to be a combination of shaking and an impact with a solid surface.
Prosecutor Michael Brady QC said it was the Crown's case that Castle killed the boy as she lost her temper and suggested she smashed the back of his head against a piece of furniture.
Jurors convicted her of murder and a separate offence of child cruelty.
When detectives examined the defendants' mobile phones following their arrest they found text messages which were derogatory towards Leiland-James.
Laura Castle wrote that the youngster was a "proper n^^^** head", "s^^^ bag" and "top t^^^", while her husband said he was a "d^^^ baby" and a "t^^^ bag".
The Castles had been selected by an adoption panel following an application process overseen by Cumbria Children's Services Department, the court heard.
In November 2020 concerns were raised that Laura Castle had said during a home visit that she did not love Leiland-James and was struggling to bond with him.
The possibility of removing the youngster from their care was later canvassed, but Laura Castle said her extended family loved him so he was "not going anywhere".
An independent review into the adoption process is due to report back in July.
The court heard from the biological mother of Leiland who said he’d been taken off her for fear of him coming to harm.
She said his death felt like her heart had been ripped out whilst she also lost all trust for the local authority.
Castle had abused Leiland throughout the 5 months he was in her care, beating and slapping him and even sending abusive messages about him to her partner, Scott.
She’s been jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years.
Scott Castle was cleared of all charges.
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “This is a profoundly sad case. Leiland-James had been placed with Laura Castle so he could be cared for and nurtured. But rather than a place of refuge, his new home became a place of danger, with Castle’s violence against him resulting in tragic consequences.
“Castle has now faced justice but nothing can undo what she did. However, it is vital that all agencies involved in Leiland-James’ short life wholly take onboard any learnings concluded by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review.
“We must do all we can to learn how we can prevent cruelty and abuse to children. It is also crucial that anyone with concerns for the wellbeing of a child contacts the local authorities, the police or the NSPCC helpline.”
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111. Adults with concerns about a child can phone the NSPCC helpline on 0808 8005000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk