'Evil took his last breath': Mum of murdered baby Leiland-James pens heartbreaking letter
25.05.2022 - 17:01
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The birth mother of Leiland-James Corkill said her baby boy was 'placed in the home of a monster' after his killer was jailed for life. Laura Corkill, 38, penned an heartbreaking letter asking the judge to pass the longest sentence possible for her 'beautiful, blue eyed boy', LancsLive reports.
On Wednesday his killer Laura Castle, who wanted to adopt the 13-month-old baby, was jailed for life. Leiland-James was removed from his mother and placed into temporary foster care, two days after his birth on December 21, 2019.
Read more: Woman jailed for life for murdering boy she was hoping to adopt
He lived happily with his foster mum, Charlotte Day, enjoying cuddles and stories, and playing in his Jumparoo bouncer. But in July 2020, the family court ruled Leiland-James was to be adopted - and Laura and Scott Castle were a suitable match.
Tragically, Laura Castle lied to social workers, claiming she did not believe in using physical chastisement and promising to continue using the name given to Leiland-James by his mum. Within weeks, Castle had started referring to the baby as simply 'James' - and in cruel text messages sent to her husband Scott, 34, she called him 'top t**t', 'devils spawn' and 'knobhead.'
On January 6, 2021, Laura Castle shook Leiland-James violently, causing catastrophic injuries to his brain, spine and eyes. Emergency services were called to the family home in Barrow-in-Furness and the baby was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, but never regained consciousness.
Leiland-James was kept on life support for his birth mother to say her last goodbyes. As Laura Castle was sentenced to life in prison for murder, Laura Corkill wrote: "He was placed in the home of a monster, a monster that was meant to