Woman admits killing baby boy she wanted to adopt as cruel text messages revealed
29.04.2022 - 01:13
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A woman has admitted killing a baby boy placed in her care who she and her husband hoped to adopt.
Laura Castle admitted to the manslaughter of Leiland-James Corkill, who died after suffering injuries ‘consistent with an assault’ at their Barrow-in-Furness home.
The 38-year-old denies murdering the child, Lancs Live reports.
Prosecutor Michael Brady QC, told Preston Crown Court that Leiland-James was placed in the care of the defendant and her husband Scott, 34, after they were approved for adoption by Cumbria City Council in August 2020.
They were described as 'positive' with a 'child friendly' home in the initial stages of the adoption process, the jury heard.
But within days of taking the baby home, it became clear Laura Castle was struggling, Mr Brady QC said.
In the months that followed, 'frustration turned to hostility' and 'physical abuse culminated in murder', he told the court.
In text messages, the couple frequently called the baby “k***head”, “d***” and “sh**bag” and spoke of “leathering him” and “tanning his arse".
The day before Leiland-James died, Scott Castle told his wife “a good, hard slap might stop him being a k***head".
In September 2020, Laura Castle messaged her husband saying she needed to stop smacking the baby, adding: "If I start I'll not stop at one point and it's not getting us anywhere and then I feel bad.”
Scott Castle responded by saying he did not like Leiland-James either, adding: “He is a d*** baby. I don't think any of us want to be that person. You aren't failing baby, I think you're doing an amazing job."
The pair discussed returning Leiland-James to the care system but said other family members loved him, and considered a £170 fee they would incur ‘a waste of money’, Mr Brady QC said.
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