Mum pens heartbreaking letter to her baby's killer after life sentence verdict

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The birth mum of 13-month-old Leiland-James Corkill, who was murdered by a woman who intended to adopt him, has said her baby boy was “placed in the home of a monster”.Laura Corkill penned an emotional letter to The Honorable Mr Justice Baker, asking the judge to pass the longest sentence possible for her “beautiful, blue eyed boy”.Leiland-James was removed from 38-year-old Corkill two days after being born on December 21 2019 and put into temporary foster care.The baby boy lived happily with his foster mum, Charlotte Day, enjoying cuddles and stories, and playing in his Jumparoo bouncer.However, 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’, ‘devil's spawn’ and ‘k***head.’On January 6, 2021, Laura Castle shook Leiland-James violently, causing catastrophic injuries to his brain, spine and eyes, Lancashire Live reports.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 love, nurture and cherish him as I would have done.