Foster carer jailed after murdering baby
She was trying to adopt the child
Last updated 10th Nov 2023
A foster carer has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years after murdering a one-year-old child she was in the process of adopting.
Katie Tidmarsh was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday of killing Ruby Thompson more than a decade ago after she died in 2012 due to suffering catastrophic brain damage.
The 39-year-old was told by sentencing judge Mr Justice Mark Wall that her victim was a "defenceless young child" and her actions "constituted a gross breach of trust".
On Friday, the judge told Tidmarsh she was "ill-equipped" to raise a child due to her mental health difficulties, adding: "You also tried to cover up what you had done by delaying medical treatment for Ruby."