Eleanor Easey: Father jailed for killing 14-week-old daughter

A father who violently shook his baby daughter to death has been jailed for 14 years for her manslaughter.

Christopher Easey, 31, formerly of Norfolk, had denied murdering 14-week-old Eleanor in December 2019.

His trial heard Eleanor had a brain injury and 31 rib fractures and had been left alone on occasions by both parents, who had also fed her biscuits.

The baby's mother, Carly Easey, 36, was sentenced to a 12-month community order for neglect.

Last month, the jury at Norwich Crown Court found Christopher Easey, of Little Thetford in Cambridgeshire, guilty of manslaughter and neglect.

Eleanor was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on 18 December 2019 after being found unresponsive at the family home in Morton on the Hill near Norwich, and she died two days later at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Tests showed Eleanor had suffered bleeds to her brain on three separate occasions, the most recent within 48 hours of her being admitted to hospital.

Eleanor was found by pathologists to have sustained a catastrophic brain injury "consistent with having been violently shaken", judge Mr Justice Edward Murray said.

Jurors rejected her father's account that he "dropped Eleanor on her head having been distracted by the dogs barking", the judge said.

The judge said he was "sure" Easey was the one who "inflicted all the serious injuries Eleanor suffered", which included 31 rib fractures.

He said the girl's mother "didn't know [her] husband was injuring [their] baby and had done so on multiple occasions".

Sally Howes QC, prosecuting, said a post-mortem examination recorded that Eleanor was poorly nourished, had a prominent ribcage and reduced muscle bulk in her limbs.

The judge said both parents, who had also lived in Terrington St Clement near King's Lynn, had "abandoned" Eleanor "on at least one occasion for a significant time".

Elizabeth Marsh QC, mitigating for Carly Easey, whose current address was given in court as Chedburgh in Suffolk, said Eleanor "was killed through no action or inaction" by her mother.

"She feels extreme guilty for failing to protect her baby from the man who deceived her," she said.

Sally O'Neill QC, mitigating for Christopher Easey, said he will "carry to his grave... the knowledge what he did caused the injuries to his baby daughter".

She described him as a "very inexperienced father".

Speaking after the hearing, Norfolk Police said health visitors had noticed bruising and scratches to Eleanor's face, which Carly Easey had said were due to an ill-fitting car seat and the scratches were self-inflicted.

The couple's friends, work colleagues and family members told detectives how the parents fed Eleanor custard cream biscuits and lemon cheesecake, gave her squash to drink and left her home alone, police added.

When questioned, Christopher Easey claimed he had been forced to brake suddenly with Eleanor in the car, and that she would sometimes bang her head on the cot.

Det Insp Lewis Craske said: "This was a very emotive investigation, and the memories of it will remain with us for quite some time."

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