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Baby Jacobs' Murder -EVIL Stepdad 28yrs MIN, Mum MIN 10yrs
JACOB CROUCH: Stepfather Guilty of Murdering Baby and Mother Convicted of Allowing His Death
Stepfather Guilty of Murdering Baby After Vicious Assault Tore His Stomach. - Jacob 'Would Have Been in Significant Pain'
BBC 2 AUG 2023
Jacob died from peritonitis – an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs – caused by traumatic bowel perforation
A stepfather has been found guilty of the murder of his partner’s 10-month-old son after a “vicious” assault that tore his stomach.
Jacob Crouch was found dead in his cot at his Derbyshire home on the morning of December 30 2020 and was later discovered to have 39 rib fractures, 19 visible bruises and several internal injuries.
After four days of deliberation by a jury following a seven-week trial at Derby Crown Court, Craig Crouch, 39, was convicted of murder and three counts of child cruelty.
The boy’s mother Gemma Barton, 33, was cleared of murder, an alternative charge of manslaughter, and two counts of child cruelty, but was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and a third count of child cruelty.
Jacob died from peritonitis – an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs – caused by traumatic bowel perforation.
Prosecutor Mary Prior KC said that Jacob died at his home in Foxley Chase, Linton, near Swadlincote, following a “vicious assault”, which saw him “kicked or stamped on with such severe force that it fractured a rib and caused a tear in his stomach and bowel”. It was the culmination of regular abuse within a “culture of cruelty”, which included making the baby eat his own vomit, she said.
Opening the case in June, Mrs Prior said: “Neither sought medical help for Jacob at any stage for the pain and suffering caused when his bones were broken or in the few days that followed.”
She added: “Neither got Jacob out of what must have been a life with episodes of significant pain and suffering. Jacob was not given the care that as a baby he needed and deserved.”
Jacob Crouch’s mother Gemma Barton, 33, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and a third count of child cruelty (Derbyshire Police)
Dr Sarah Dixon, a consultant paediatrician, told the court Jacob suffered “repeated physical abuse” in the weeks, days and hours prior to his death and that it was “not remotely” possible that the injuries could have been self-inflicted.
They included a traumatic bowel perforation which led to a fatal infection, which forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs said could only have been sustained through blunt force trauma such as a punch, kick or stamp.
He also said that he would expect to see such injuries in car crash victims or those who had suffered a multi-storey fall.
While Dr Biggs said that Jacob’s injuries would have left him “systematically unwell” in the time before his death, Crouch claimed in a 999 call that Jacob was “fine” just two hours before he was pronounced dead by paramedics.
Jacob died from peritonitis – an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs – caused by traumatic bowel perforation
Giving evidence, Crouch, a forklift driver at JCB, said that Jacob’s injuries had “nothing to do with me”, stating that he “didn’t see anything” and “didn’t see anyone do anything to hurt” his stepson.
He told the court he “loves children” and that he had supported Jacob “from the start”.
Barton, 33, also denied ever harming her son, and when asked who could have inflicted the injuries said: “It was not me so that leaves Craig.”
She claimed her son was her “bundle of joy” and said it felt like her “whole world had just ended” when she was awoken by Crouch screaming that Jacob was dead.
The defendants, who had both denied murder and child cruelty offences, remained silent as the verdicts were read out, with people in the public gallery weeping.
In text messages from June 2020, Crouch told Barton that she needed to be “more regimental” with Jacob to “not let this take over us”, claiming he was “starting to get really pissed off with him” in a later text.
Other messages revealed that the pair at one stage referred to Jacob as the “devil”.
In September, when Barton told Crouch she was bathing Jacob, he replied “3 foot deep, just hot water and some bleach xxxx”, a comment he later labelled in a police interview as “banter”.
After the pair were arrested on January 5 2021, they resumed their relationship despite their bail conditions saying they should not contact each other.
This, Mrs Prior said, was evidence that “what mattered to them was their love affair and their love story”.
Discharging the jury, Mr Justice Kerr said: “It remains for me to thank you for your public service that you have done these last couple of months that must have been a very difficult task, and is very much appreciated.”
Speaking outside Derby Crown Court following the convictions, Detective Inspector Paul Bullock, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “Jacob Crouch was born into a culture of cruelty where both of the people he should have been able to trust above any other allowed him to be subjected to assault after assault.
“Heartbreakingly, for much of Jacob’s short life, he would have been in significant pain as a result of the serious and repeated assaults.
“It is clear from the evidence found on Gemma Barton and Craig Crouch’s phones, through text messages, videos and audio recordings, that they were equally responsible for the culture of cruelty that was inflicted on baby Jacob.
“As a father, I can’t comprehend what happened behind closed doors and my thoughts remain with Jacob’s wider family who have been left devastated by his death.
“I hope that today’s verdict brings with it a degree of closure for them, and it begins the process of them being able to grieve for Jacob, and remember the happier times with a much-loved child.”
Barton, of Ray Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, and Crouch, of Donisthorpe Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, will be sentenced at the same court on Friday.
Stepfather Craig Crouch Given a Minimum of 28 years, After Being Found Guilty of Murdering 10-Month-Old Baby at His Derbyshire Home in 2020
Jacobs' Mother Gemma Barton Was Cleared of Murder, But Found Guilty of Causing or Allowing The Death of a Child, Given a Minimum of Ten Years
BBC 4 AUG 2023
Members of the Crouch family are all "broken", the court has heard during today's emotional victim impact statements
The court has also heard from the prosecution - who said the baby died in “significant pain” - and from the defence, who asked for the judge to consider mitigating factors
Barton Failed to Take Steps to Protect Jacob - Judge
The judge lists some of the aggravating factors in Barton's sentencing.
He says Barton failed to take steps to protect Jacob.
He also references the violence used against Jacob, saying Barton allowed it to happen and so it must affect how long she spends in prison.
Continuing his sentencing, the judge draws a distinction between killing Jacob and allowing him to be killed - which is what Barton has been convicted of.
On the night Jacob died, Mr Justice Kerr says his mother must have become aware of the abuse Crouch was committing against Jacob.
Crouchs' Sentence Handed Down by Judge
Craig Crouch sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years for the murder of Jacob Crouch before he is eligible for parole.
Crouch inflicted pain on Jacob over about seven months
The judge continues to list what he says are the factors that have gone into his decision to determine how long Crouch will be sentenced.
One of those, he says, is that "over about seven months" Crouch inflicted pain and suffering onto "this little baby".
The judge goes onto indicate a starting point for Crouch's sentencing is 30 years, given the seriousness of the offence.
"You are in some ways an unlikely murderer," Mr Justice Kerr says, given Crouch's lack of a history of issues such as drug or alcohol addiction.
He then says these are limited mitigation and reduces his minimum jail term by two years.
Baby Jacobs' Murder -EVIL Stepdad 28yrs MIN, Mum MIN 10yrs
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