Stepfather and mother jailed over death of baby Jacob Crouch after 10-month-old suffered ‘car crash-like’ injuries
A man has been jailed for a minimum of 28 years after killing a 10-month-old baby boy who suffered injuries likened to those seen in car crash victims after repeated serious assaults.
Craig Crouch was convicted on Wednesday of the “vicious” murder of stepson Jacob Crouch, as well as three counts of child cruelty.
The 39-year-old was locked up following a seven-week trial at Derby Crown Court which heard how Jacob was the victim of a “culture of cruelty” which saw him “assaulted on a regular basis” by his stepfather over six months.
In a statement read to the court today on his behalf, Andrew Smith, Jacob’s father, who had separated from Gemma Barton by the time Jacob was born, said “though I tried I never got to meet him, I’ll never hear my son call me Dad.”
He said there will be no memories of Jacob’s first steps or first words. “I can’t understand how or why you inflicted the injuries you did, Craig” he added.
“My son has some justice but it will never be enough.”
Jacob ‘would have been in significant pain’ for much of his short life
Jacob’s mother, Gemma Barton, 33, was cleared of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, and one count of child cruelty.
She was jailed a total of 10 years – including seven-and-a-half for causing or allowing the death of a child and two-and-a-half years for child cruelty, to be served consecutively.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Kerr said: “Jacob was a happy, smiley, bubbly baby who never complained about the horrific treatment he was receiving.
“He had to put up with it, and he did, often with a smile.”
The judge described Crouch as “in some ways, an unlikely murderer” – but added that he was “domineering, aggressive, boastful and arrogant”, and caused Jacob “intense and prolonged harm”.
“You caused Jacob acute physical and mental suffering,” Mr Justice Kerr told Crouch.
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Couple found guilty of murdering baby
“You inflicted first bruising, and then fractured ribs, on this little baby. You have not shown any remorse for what you did.”
The judge told Barton: “I am sure you knew Jacob’s plight was serious. You failed to take such steps that you reasonably should have been expected to have undertaken.
“The evidence was there to see, but you failed to face up to it.”
Crouch, of Moira in Leicestershire, remained silent in the dock, while Barton, of Heanor, Derbyshire, and members of the public gallery wept during the hearing.
Warning: This article contains details of a graphic nature
The infant was found dead in his cot at the family home in Linton, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, on 30 December 2020 despite Crouch claiming in a 999 call that Jacob was “fine” just two hours before he died.
A post-mortem examination found he had died as a result of peritonitis – an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs – caused by a traumatic bowel perforation.
Dr Michael Biggs, a forensic pathologist, told the trial this could have only been caused by blunt force trauma, such as a punch, kick or stamp.
Further examinations found Jacob also had 39 rib fractures, 19 visible bruises and internal injuries, which Dr Biggs likened to those seen in car crash victims or those who had suffered a multi-storey fall.
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Police statement on Jacob Crouch
Detectives investigating the case said for much of Jacob’s short life, “he would have been in significant pain as a result of the serious and repeated assaults”.
In evidence, Crouch, a former forklift driver at JCB, said Jacob’s injuries had “nothing to do with me”, stating he “didn’t see anything” and “didn’t see anyone do anything to hurt” his stepson.
He suggested the injuries could have been caused by Jacob falling over or hitting himself with a toy, an explanation that a consultant paediatrician labelled “not remotely” possible.
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Barton also denied ever harming her son, and when asked who could have inflicted the injuries, said: “It was not me so that leaves Craig.”
She claimed her son was her “bundle of joy” and said it felt like her “whole world had just ended” when she was awoken by Crouch screaming Jacob was dead.
In text messages from June 2020, Crouch told Barton she needed to be “more regimental” with Jacob to “not let this take over us”, claiming he was “starting to get really p***** off with him” in a later text.
Other messages revealed the pair at one stage referred to Jacob as the “devil” and discussed feeding him his own vomit and sending him to bed or smacking him for “crying for no reason”.
In September, when Barton told Crouch she was bathing Jacob, he replied “3 foot deep, just hot water and some bleach xxxx”, a comment he later described in a police interview as “banter”.
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In mitigation, Clive Stockwell KC, representing Barton, said she was “effectively isolated” by Crouch, who was “coercive and controlling”.
“She failed to protect her son on that fatal night when she should have been aware, as the jury found, of the risk posed by Crouch.
“She will have to live with the reality of that finding.”
Dozens of children died following abuse at home during 2020 lockdown
Jacob was tragically one of 36 children who died in England following abuse and maltreatment at home in 2020, the NSPCC said in a statement after the sentence was passed.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “The trial of Jacob Crouch’s mother and stepfather revealed shocking and deeply upsetting details of child abuse.
Jacob’s short life was marked by sustained cruelty and violence, and our hearts go out to his wider family and the community where this terrible crime took place.
Anyone who has concerns for a child’s safety is urged to contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, which offers free, confidential help or advice.
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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