Christopher Easey, 31, who was also found guilty of negligence, was jailed for a total of 14 years by Mr Justice Murray, who, despite his lack of experience as a father and his maturity, said he was “not a fool”. Christopher Easey jailed for 14 years – Credit: Norfolk Constabulary He said: “You should have known that what you did hurt Eleanor. “It must have been obvious to you that she was in danger of being seriously injured.” Easey was tried in Norwich Crown Court on charges of killing him for three months. Christopher Easey found guilty of killing Eleanor’s daughter – Credit: Brittany Woodman, Archant Norfolk Carly Easey, 36 – who is now divorced from Christopher – had been tried on charges of allowing her daughter to die as well as being cruel. Eleanor died of a devastating brain injury two days after she was admitted to hospital on December 18, 2019 after paramedics were called to the family home in Morton on the Hill. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty to all charges, but on Friday (April 29) Christopher Easey, of Ely Road, Little Thetford, Ely, appeared in court after being found guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter last month after more than 20 hours of discussions. . Christopher and Carly Easey – Credit: From Facebook Mr. Easey looked straight ahead and showed no emotion when he was convicted, although his mother was visibly upset in the public gallery. Judge Murray said Eleanor died in December 2019 just 14 weeks after giving birth. She said she suffered “extensive bleeding and neurological damage to her brain”, as well as 31 rib fractures and five other fracture points in her limbs. He said these injuries “could not be explained by normal handling or even rough handling”. Carly Easey, from Elizabeth Drive, Cherdburgh, was also convicted of permitting the death of her daughter, but guilty of negligence. The judge admitted that she was unaware that her husband had harmed the baby and was given a 12-month Community warrant. Judge Murray said both defendants had given Eleanor diluted squash and insisted it was “undeniable that something was wrong” with the way she was fed. The verdicts in the case followed a 10-week trial in which jurors heard that baby Eleanor had suffered 31 fractures in the ribs, including 17 in the front and 14 in the back, which were found to have occurred at four different times. Medical experts described to the jury that Eleanor’s injuries were “indicative of an injury”, while another expert found that “a single traumatic event could not explain these injuries”. The trial had heard that Christopher Easey was “responsible for these previous injuries” and was “ultimately responsible for Eleanor’s death”. The prosecution said Eleanor died of “a deliberate non-accidental injury involving some form of tremor and possibly a bump on the right side of her head”. Christopher Easey’s account of the injuries sustained after giving Eleanor a “refreshing shake” is said to have been a “package of outright lies”. Morton on the Hill, near Lenwade, where Christopher and Carly Easey lived when Eleanor died in December 2019. – Credit: Peter Walsh, Archant Norfolk The jury was also informed during the trial that Carly Easey was aware of the danger to her baby and “failed to protect Eleanor” leaving her with Christopher and continuing to do so. On Friday, prosecuting Sally Howes QC said there was a “history of violence or abuse against the victim in this case” which was “particularly vulnerable in his age”. He said the offense was exacerbated by the “number of detailed and complex accounts” the defendant then made “to cover everything”. Although no doctor could do anything to save Eleanor, given her injuries, she questioned whether Christopher Easey knew it at the time. Regarding the accusation of cruelty for which Easey was convicted, Miss Howes said that there were “prolonged and multiple cases of cruelty, including negligence”. He said the post-mortem examination found that Eleanor was a “malnourished child” who was in a “severe malnutrition”. Miss Howes said they left the night meal “up to Eleanor” based on whether she woke up or not, instead of waking her up for food. He told the court that this meant that Eleanor was “losing valuable food”. Miss Howes said there were also cases where Eleanor was left alone and the accused “knew it”. He said it was “too early” when Eleanor was not only premature but “very young and very vulnerable”. As for Carly Easey, who was convicted of cruelty, Miss Howes said there was “deliberate neglect” by the accused. Carly Easey – Credit: Brittany Woodman, Archant Norfolk He said it was not just physical development that was affected, but “the development of the brain that was affected in such a small baby.” Miss Howes said Carly Easey herself had admitted as proof that she had left Eleanor alone for an hour and a half while she was at least 100 meters away. Sally O’Neill, a mitigating factor for Christopher Easey, who has no previous convictions, said he was a “very inexperienced” father who had “little understanding” of a baby’s developmental stages or what to expect. He said the lack of insight and maturity was a very important part of the case, as he “did not know better”. Miss O’Neill said that if she had caused these previous injuries to Eleanor, she may have done so without knowing it was the result of “inappropriate, cruel handling”. The lawyer said his job as a cattle breeder was an important factor in how he kept Eleanor in a “proven inappropriate way”. Miss O’Neill, who was defended in defense of Christopher Easey by Danielle O’Donovan, said Eleanor was in the “exclusive care” of the accused at the time and “admitted that his actions caused these injuries to the baby. and finally her death. ” . He said he should “carry it to his grave”. Miss O’Neill said she was “obviously out of his depths” but “could not admit she did not succeed” and was part of “his inadequate personality”. He said his “biggest regret” was that he was not stronger and asked for help, but pretended to succeed. Elizabeth Marsh QC, mitigating Carly Easey, said the appropriate penalty for her client was a Community mandate. She said Carly Easey’s baby was killed through no fault of her own or that she was “extremely guilty of failing to protect her baby from the man who cheated on her”. He said Eleanor was “significantly underweight” and acknowledged that Carly “should have realized it”, but insisted that other health professionals – not even grandmothers – had said so at the time. Miss Marsh, who was defending Carly Easey’s defense by Lori Tucker, said there was no child injury to her client, but failure to supervise or abandon as described by the crown and malnutrition. He also said that Carly Easey had no previous convictions, was a good character, cooperated fully with the investigation and has shown remorse. Miss Mars said she regretted not doing the right thing, but taking care of Eleanor as best she could and in the end “taking good care of this baby”. The lawyer told the court Carly Easey had abandoned her baby on December 18, 2019 having gone to work, but then had to “see her baby suffer and die in the next two days”. Miss Marsh said Carly Easey, who volunteers for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, has been offered a full-time job if not taken to prison.
“The awful truth”
Speaking after the conviction, Detective Inspector Lewis Craske, a senior investigating officer, said: “Christopher Easey was found guilty of killing his daughter and it is a horrible truth that he died at the hands of the man he had to take care of. of? someone who should care about her and have shown unconditional love. “Unfortunately, this did not happen and little Eleanor was neglected for a long time, if not for her whole short life. “Finding out what happened to that family during Eleanor’s life and on that terrible night in December 2019 has always been our priority. “I know we did it and presented our findings. “This was a very moving research and her memories will stay with us for a long time.”
