Teenager jailed for killing girlfriend's 'neglected' baby » Communities » 24dash.com

A teenager who killed his girlfriend's "neglected" 11-month-old daughter with a blow to the head was today detained for a minimum of 12 years.

Mitchell Cooper, 17, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was found guilty of murdering Ruby Spink following a trial at Norwich Crown Court (pictured).

The baby was killed six days after a social services department placed her on an at-risk register.

Judge Peter Jacobs sentenced Cooper to life in detention, with a recommendation he serve a minimum of 12 years.

The mother, Laura Spink, 18, who pleaded guilty to neglect, was sent to a young offenders' institute for a minimum of 12 months.

Following the case, it emerged social workers were "closely monitoring" Ruby's welfare after being alerted to her plight less than two months before she died last September.

Ruby was also said to have been examined by a GP and two specialists in the weeks before her death. All were said to have noted injuries but all thought she had been hurt accidentally.

During the trial, it emerged the little girl suffered a fatal head injury - her ribs and legs had also been broken.

Ruby lived at a hostel in Great Yarmouth with her mother.

Judge Jacobs decided it was in the public interest for Cooper's identity to be published and lifted reported restrictions.

He described Cooper's actions as "cynical".

"You just lost it. You resented the child. Your dislike of the child came to the surface," said Judge Jacobs.

"You forcibly banged this child's head... against a hard surface. As a result of that, you caused a fracture to the skull, which resulted in death, probably instantly.

"Then you covered it up. There was something almost cynical about the way you tried to cover it up."

The court heard Cooper told paramedics that Ruby had choked on a piece of cake.

Sentencing Spink, Judge Jacobs said: "You told all sorts of lies, some of them absurd lies."

During the trial, it emerged Spink had covered for Cooper and allowed him unsupervised access to her child, who she had in a previous relationship, despite advice to the contrary.

"You're both insecure, you're both irresponsible," said Judge Jacobs.

"You're both the victims of a cycle of depravation, but there's nothing in your background which justifies the way you treated this child."

During the trial, it emerged that both Cooper and Spink had racially abused the child, calling her various derogatory names.

"It has to be recognised that when children are neglected in this way, with such frightening results, a custodial sentence must follow," said Judge Jacobs.

After the hearing, Ruby's natural father, Martin Shabangu, 25, who lives in West Yorkshire, criticised social services.

"They could've taken action as soon as they saw things happening," he said.

"(They should have) taken her away or given her to me.

"They were willing to do that. They decided to give Laura a second chance."

He added: "I don't blame anybody. I could've done better myself."

Mr Shabangu said he last saw his daughter three weeks before her death.

He said she had a black eye and that he was told it was the result of an "accident".

When asked what he would have liked social services to have done, he
said: "To take action more quickly."

Following the sentence, Meera Spillett, deputy director of children's services at Norfolk County Council, said: "We, along with several other agencies, were working with Ruby's family at the time of her murder by Mitchell Cooper and had been closely monitoring Ruby's health and welfare."

The council said Ruby was seen by social workers in about eight weeks before her death and no concerns were raised by health professionals who treated her.

Ms Spillett said: "A multi-agency child protection investigation and child protection conference were held about Ruby.

"At that conference, which took place just six days before Ruby's murder, the decision was taken to place her on the child protection register, under the categories of physical abuse and neglect.

"Ruby's mother did not stick to the child protection plan that was agreed at the conference and her boyfriend Mitchell Cooper - who was not living with Laura Spink - went on to murder Ruby when he was left alone with her.

"Based on his background, Cooper had been assessed as low risk.

"During the course of his trial, several witnesses have spoken of his ill treatment of Ruby.

"We heard most of this evidence for the first time in court and the court also heard that no residents at the hostel where Ruby and Laura were living ever complained to either us or the police about his treatment of Ruby."