Christopher Easey, 31, was convicted of murder and neglect of Eleanor in Norwich court in March after a 10-week trial in which the infant suffered three brain hemorrhages and 31 rib fractures before his death. Eleanor Easey. Photo: Norfolk Police / PA Eleanor’s mother, Carly Easey, 36, was found guilty of one count of negligence and sentenced to 12 months in prison with community service charges. Judge Edward Murray said she was “certain” that Christopher was the one who “caused all the serious injuries to Eleanor” and that Carly “did not know [her] the husband was injured [their] my baby and he had done it many times “. Christopher was found guilty of manslaughter after jurors rejected his testimony that “Eleanor fell on her head after being detached from the barking dogs,” the judge said. Eleanor was taken to hospital on December 18, 2019 after being found unresponsive at home and died two days later. Experts said her injuries were compatible with a non-accidental head injury, possibly due to trembling or bumping, or a combination of both. The jury heard that Carly had hidden her pregnancy and, after giving birth two weeks prematurely, Eleanor spent the first weeks of her life in intensive care. The hospital staff referred the family to social services after noticing that they seemed to show little interest in the newborn, leaving the bottle feeding to the staff and rarely visiting the intensive care unit. A Norfolk County Council social worker who visited the family the day Eleanor was allowed to return home “noted some communication or interaction” between them and Eleanor. In October, health visitors noticed bruises and scratches on Eleanor’s face, which her mother said were due to a misplaced car seat and the baby being scratched. A post-mortem examination revealed that Eleanor was malnourished, had a protruding chest and reduced limb muscle mass. The judge said that both parents “occasionally gave her diluted squash to drink instead of milk” and described as “completely inappropriate” the fact that they gave her a lick of a cream biscuit. He said both parents had “abandoned” Eleanor “at least once in a while”. Elizabeth Marsh QC, moderating Carly Easey, said Eleanor was “killed without action or inaction” by her mother. “She feels extremely guilty about failing to protect her baby from the man who cheated on her,” she said. Sally O’Neill QC, mitigating Christopher Easey, said he would “carry to his grave; knowledge of what he did caused his daughter injuries.” He described him as “a very inexperienced father”.
