Evil Gemma Barton, 33, and her child murderer boyfriend Craig Crouch, 39, posted a sick letter through the doors of their neighbours claiming little Jacob died from cot death
A mum who allowed her baby son to die at the hands of her abusive boyfriend told neighbours the 10-month-old had suffered cot death, it has been reported.
Gemma Barton, 33, and her partner Craig Crouch, 39, met on Plenty of Fish while she was four months pregnant with little Jacob. The evil couple inflicted a horrific catalogue of abuse on the tot. They constructed a twisted letter begging locals not to send any sympathy cards as the child’s death had left them in “so much pain”. It claimed: “Devastatingly, we woke up to find him no longer with us.”
The pair – who face sentencing today – delivered the note through neighbours’ letterboxes on an estate in Linton, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, having only moved in months before. Jacob was found dead on December 30, 2020, later being found to have suffered 39 rib fractures, 19 visible bruises and several internal injuries.
Crouch was convicted of murder this week, as well as three counts of child cruelty after a seven-week trial at Derby Crown Court. Barton 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. Both face hefty jail terms.