A mother has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 and a half years for the murder of her seven-month-old daughter and for injuring another child. Jennifer Crichton, 35, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday of killing Amelia and causing grievous bodily harm to another child.
The court heard that Crichton, from Leyland, Lancashire, was under a social services care plan when she attacked Amelia on 19 April. She told a psychiatrist she had shaken the baby three times before she slipped onto a tiled floor. However, the judge, Mr Justice Holgate, said expert evidence showed a skull fracture consistent with a violent strike, concluding that Crichton either forced Amelia to the ground or struck her head on a hard surface.
Crichton was also convicted of three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of child cruelty against another child, who cannot be named. She had been arrested years earlier after that child was seriously injured but was not charged until last year. The judge described her as “self-centred, deceitful, manipulative and lacking in any real remorse”.
Amelia was born prematurely at 24 weeks and spent six months in intensive care before living at home. Her father, Richard Sheppard, was initially blamed by Crichton for the injuries. The judge said Amelia's death had a devastating effect on her family, adding: “Their pain over losing a much-loved young child and her life being so cruelly cut short will endure.”
Brett Gerrity from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Amelia Crichton was a small, defenceless baby who suffered catastrophic injuries at the hands of her mother, who should have been caring for her.” Crichton initially denied responsibility but later pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a plea not accepted by the prosecution.
