The jury in the controversial baby Eleanor Easey case has found her father, Christopher Easey, 31, guilty of manslaughter despite his defense and denial that he did not inflict injuries nor neglect his child.
The BBC reported that Eleanor's mother, Carly Easey, 36, has also been found guilty of neglecting her daughter. The parents, who remain incarcerated, will be given their sentences at the end of April.
Probe on the baby Eleanor Easey case started shortly after she died in December 2019 when she was taken to the hospital from her parents' home in Norfolk in the U.K. Tests showed that Eleanor was unresponsive because she had significant injuries to her head and bleeding in her brain and skull.
Post-mortem results established that the baby's cause of death was head injuries. The medical investigator also determined that Eleanor was severely malnourished before her death.
Baby Eleanor Was Fed Custard, Cheesecake, and Biscuits
During the trial, the jury heard that the infant was given custards, cheesecakes, and biscuits as her food. She also drank squash juice and was even left alone at home by her parents.
Christopher initially claimed that Eleanor's injuries were likely due to a minor car accident when he suddenly stepped on the brakes while the infant was in her ill-fitting car seat. He also told the jury that he dropped his baby while feeding her and claimed she hit her head on the crib a few times.
Social services closed case into baby Eleanor Easey a month before father killed her, review findshttps://t.co/IbTZB7GKBf
— ITV News (@itvnews) March 31, 2022
However, the medical evidence showed that Eleanor's head injuries could only result from violently shaking the baby, whether accidentally or deliberately. Prosecutor Sally Howes told the jury that the baby's father was telling a "pack of lies," per the Daily Mail.
But the jury could not attribute any physical injuries to the baby's mother; thus, she was only charged with neglect. The jury also believed that Carly did not witness her husband hurting Eleanor, and there was no clear and established proof that she was aware of the abuse.
Eleanor's Parents Have Divorced
Carly divorced Christopher following the death of Eleanor. The couple was married in 2018 and lost their first child to a miscarriage in 2018.
According to ITV News, investigators learned that the mother concealed her pregnancy; thus, Eleanor had to stay at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital days after her birth in September 2019.
By October, healthcare workers conducted visits to the Easey home due to concerns that the parents were not usually bonding with Eleanor and showed anxiety about being parents. They noticed that the baby had some bruising on her face, and Carly claimed that this was due to the wrong fit of her car seat. However, Carly could not account for the other injuries her baby manifested.
After the verdict was announced, Carly was seen crying on the dock, while Christopher reportedly showed no remorse. Her lawyers are planning to bail her out before her sentencing date.
