couple have been locked up over the loss of life of a 15-month-old boy who was murdered following a marketing campaign of “merciless and sadistic” abuse.
Jacob Lennon suffered a listing of accidents to his face, physique and genitals over three weeks by the hands of his mom’s cocaine addict boyfriend Jake Drummond.
Then on August 27 2019, Drummond, 33, fatally shook and hit the little boy, leaving his face so bruised and swollen he was described as trying like a “panda”.
Jacob’s mom Louise Lennon, 32, not solely didn’t cease it, she joked with Drummond, blamed one other youngster for accidents, and lied to social companies to keep away from anybody discovering out after her case was downgraded.
Following a trial on the Outdated Bailey in March, Drummond was discovered responsible of homicide and wounding Jacob by excessive pinching or biting his penis and piercing his scrotum with a skewer.
Lennon was discovered responsible of permitting Jacob’s loss of life on August 27 2019, having admitted youngster cruelty.
On Friday, Mr Justice Sweeting handed Drummond a life sentence with a minimal time period of 32 years for homicide and 6 years to run concurrently for wounding.
Lennon was handed 10 years with six years’ imprisonment concurrent for the cruelty cost.
Within the televised sentencing, the senior decide mentioned Drummond was “emotionally unstable” which was made worse by his drug use.
He rejected Lennon’s declare that she was coercively managed by her boyfriend, saying she had prioritised her relationship over her son’s welfare.
The decide mentioned images taken by Lennon of Jacob’s accidents have been “really stunning” and famous one among her associates had described his head as trying like a “basketball”.
He mentioned: “Maybe probably the most haunting {photograph} will not be a type of that present harm however that taken on August 12 when Jacob seems nicely, a vibrant and cheerful toddler – lower than a fortnight later he was useless.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, of Scotland Yard, mentioned it was the saddest case of his 30-year profession, and “distressing and emotional” for all these concerned.
He mentioned what Jacob suffered was “really terrible and merciless” with the deadly head harm likened to being dropped from a primary ground constructing.
“There have been over 20 particular person accidents to his physique on the time of his loss of life.
“Probably the most vital accidents was the harm to his genitalia, which was merciless and sadistic in its personal proper,” Mr Jolley mentioned.
He added that the defendants have been “fairly despicable” as they joked about Jacob’s struggling in messages punctuated by laughing emojis.
5 days earlier than the killing, former caretaker Drummond instructed Lennon he was placing Jacob into the “torture chamber” in reference to his bed room.
It adopted a meme of the Hollywood actor Ben Stiller within the movie Joyful Gilmore with the quote: “Now you’ll fall asleep or I’ll put you to sleep.”
Social Companies had positioned Jacob below a toddler safety plan below the class of emotional abuse in December 2018 and the case had been downgraded to the bottom class a month earlier than his loss of life.
On August 20 2019 Lennon lied to a social employee by saying she was on vacation in Hastings to skip a deliberate go to.
By then, Drummond had already launched into “a marketing campaign of intentionally assaulting and hurting Jacob”, prosecutor Sally O’Neill KC had mentioned.
Drummond was mentioned to be pissed off at Jacob staying in mattress with him and Lennon fairly than his cot.
On the day earlier than the deadly assault, he was additional angered at having to go to a police station after a former girlfriend accused him of harassing her in a approach that was “little in need of obsessive”.
Early the following day, Jacob was taken off the bed and shaken and hit so severely he fell unconscious.
Medics discovered Jacob’s eyes have been so swollen they might not open and he “regarded like a panda” and he died shortly after being taken to hospital.
A autopsy examination discovered he died from a deadly head harm, seemingly from being hit in opposition to a blunt floor whereas being shaken, in addition to 20 marks of latest harm.
The pathologist recognized a “gaping” 3cm lengthy minimize to Jacob’s penis from “excessive pinching” or “biting” and a wound to his scrotum in step with being pierced with a skewer.
A declare the minimize might have been triggered by chance by an older youngster utilizing a Toy Story themed “Mr Potato Head” plastic knife was rejected.
Lennon additionally claimed Jacob fell out of his cot and had tripped days earlier than as they returned to their flat in Roehampton, south-west London, from a grocery store.
Of their trial, Drummond denied accountability for Jacob’s accidents and Lennon claimed she was “coerced and threatened”.
Her barrister Jane Bickerstaff KC mentioned she had been “deceived” by the lads in her life and was a sufferer of Drummond’s “violent and sadistic” behaviour.
Ms Bickerstaff mentioned Lennon had been “extraordinarily fearful” that Social Companies would see Jacob’s bruises and her case be “re-categorised” after being downgraded on July 29 on account of her efforts.
Mitigating for Drummond, Anne Whyte KC mentioned he had “anger administration issues” however there was no proof of “gratification or glee” at harming Jacob.
Drummond had earlier convictions for having medicine, holding a knife in opposition to his mom’s throat and assaulting an ex-girlfriend by pushing her in opposition to a wall.
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