Jacob Crouch: Mother and stepfather ‘repeatedly abused’ 10-month-old baby before killing him, court told
A mother and stepfather accused of murdering their baby son subjected him to “repeated physical abuse” over a six-month period prior to his death, a court has heard.
Jacob Crouch was 10 months old when he was pronounced dead in his cot at home in Linton, near Swadlincote in Derbyshire, as a result of peritonitis – an infection of the lining of abdominal organs caused by a traumatic bowel injury.
Jacob was found to have 39 rib fractures and 19 visible bruises at the time of his death, on 30 December 2020.
His mother, Gemma Barton, 33, and stepfather, Craig Crouch, 39, are standing trial at Derby Crown Court for murder and child cruelty offences, which they deny.
The couple are said to have “encouraged and applauded each other” as they assaulted Jacob “on a regular basis”, the prosecution told the court.
Texts shown to the court showed the pair apparently referring to Jacob as the “devil” and revealed how they allegedly fed him his own vomit.
They also discussed bathing him in bleach and would smack him if he “cried for no reason”, jurors were told.
In June 2020, Crouch told Barton she needed to be “more regimental” with the infant in a bid to “not let this take over us”, prosecutors said.
Fatal injuries likely to have been caused by ‘kick, stamp or punch’
Giving evidence, consultant paediatrician Dr Sarah Dixon said the peritonitis was likely to have been “inflicted” by a “kick, stamp or punch”.
She told the jury it was “not remotely” possible the injuries were caused by Jacob playing.
Barton, as well as people observing proceedings in the public gallery, sobbed as Dr Dixon revealed her findings to the court, while Crouch remained silent in the dock.
Dr Dixon told the court: “Jacob suffered repeated physical abuse over a six-month period resulting in bruises to the face and body and many broken ribs.
“In my opinion, many of the bruises present at the time of death were inflicted injuries.”
Barton and Crouch are being tried at Derby Crown Court
Baby boy ‘would have survived’ with treatment
Jacob, who was last known to be well a day before his death on 29 December 2020, “suffered inflicted blunt force trauma to the abdomen, perforating his bowel and causing internal bleeding,” Dr Dixon said.
The symptoms of peritonitis are “not subtle” and would “undoubtedly have been present and obvious” in the hours before his death, she added.
According to the NHS website, signs of the condition can include sudden tummy pain that gets worse with movement, a fever, rapid heartbeat and struggling to urinate.
The infection would have caused the infant’s body to shut down within hours or at most, a “small number of days”, forensic pathologist, Dr Michael Biggs, earlier told the court.
But had he been taken to hospital, “in all likelihood he would have survived”, jurors heard.
Jurors were also shown text messages from Barton to Crouch in October 2020 claiming the infant “gets bruises all the time”.
But Dr Dixon said many of Jacob’s bruises, seen from July 2020, were the result of “inflicted injury” and were “non-accidental”.
Marks on his face and hip – seen in pictures shown to the jury – could be explained by pinching or grabbing, while bruises on his chest were likely caused by “forceful squeezing” of his ribs.
Barton, of Heanor, Derbyshire and Crouch, of Moira, Swadlincote, both deny murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, causing a child to suffer serious physical harm and three further counts of child cruelty.
The trial continues.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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Putin’s Victory Day parade explained
The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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