A mum let her "sadistic" boyfriend murder her baby son after a campaign of terror as they joked about putting the 15-month-old in a "torture chamber".
Former caretaker Jake Drummond has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering his girlfriend's son, Jacob Lennon, whilst mum Louise Lennon was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child having earlier admitted child cruelty.
The baby was the victim of a campaign of “torture” at the hands of the 33-year-old who left him so badly beaten he could barely see and with such bad black eyes he resembled a "panda", the court heard.
When medics found him, after Drummond's final, fatal attack, his skull was described as being soft and spongy.
Over text, the couple talked about putting the youngster in a "torture chamber" and the court heard how the youngster suffered a "gaping" wound to his penis and scrotum caused by a "sharp implement" which were described as "sadistic in its cruelty".
The toddler died after he was rushed to hospital, from the family’s home in Putney, southwest London, with serious head injuries in August 2019.
Drug addict Drummond fatally shook the child and hit him, and in the weeks leading up to the brutal killing mum Lennon failed to stop his escalating abuse as Jacob suffered more injuries to his face, body, and genitals, jurors were told.
Five days before the killing, Drummond sent 32-year-old Lennon a sick message saying he was putting Jacob into the "torture chamber" in reference to his bedroom, jurors heard.
It followed a meme of the Hollywood actor Ben Stiller in the film Happy Gilmore with the quote: "Now you will go to sleep or I will put you to sleep."
In another message, Lennon referred to Jacob as looking like "a little madman" because of his bruises and in court the pair had denied wrongdoing and blamed each other for Jacob's horrific injuries.
Sally O'Neill KC, prosecuting, told the court: "It is the Crown's case that Jake Drummond had embarked on a campaign of deliberately assaulting and hurting Jacob between July and the end of August. The injuries which he caused were obvious and noticeable.
"Lucy Lennon tried to explain them away by fabricating accidental causes for them or blaming (another person) when it must have been apparent to her that it was Jake Drummond who was causing them."
One of little Jacob's most horrifying injuries was the "gaping" 3cm long cut to Jacob's penis from "extreme pinching" or "biting" and a wound to his scrotum, identified by a pathologist.
The prosecutor said: "The injury to the scrotum was a penetrating injury as a result of penetration by a semi-sharp or sharp object such as a small-bladed weapon including a skewer or similar in preceding days."
The injuries to Jacob's genitals were said to be "sadistic" and were the subject of Drummond's wounding charge.
The pathologist rejected a claim the cut could have been caused by a Toy Story themed "Mr Potato Head" plastic knife.
A Metropolitan Police statement said: "A post-mortem examination took place on 29 August 2019 at Great Ormond Street Hospital. This found traumatic brain injuries, some of which were from a period of days or weeks earlier. The cause of death was a fatal brain injury inflicted some three to five hours before Jacob’s death.
"In addition to this, there were 20 further marks of recent injury on Jacob’s head, face and neck, 11 to his arms, seven to his legs and seven to his body.
"His genitals were also found to have suffered severe injuries. Lennon told officers that Drummond claimed to her that these injuries had been caused by another child using a toy plastic knife.
"The examination established that Jacob had been subjected to days and weeks of abuse and violent assault."
Back in December 2018, social services placed the youngster under a child protection plan, but in August the next year, shortly before Jacob's death, Lennon lied to the social worker, claiming to be on holiday to skip a planned visit.
At the same time, Drummond had embarked on "a campaign of deliberately assaulting and hurting Jacob", Ms O'Neill had said.
The murderer was frustrated with Jacob staying in the couple's bed, instead of his cot, as he struggled with sleeplessness because of his cocaine habit.
Then, on the day before the fatal attack, Drummond was also angered at having to go to a police station after a former girlfriend accused him of harassing her in a way that was "little short of obsessive".
Early the next day, Jacob was taken out of bed and shaken and hit so severely he fell unconscious, jurors were told, but mum Lennon came up with a lie to tell emergency services about how the young tot had fallen out of his cot.
She also claimed he had tripped on the way from a supermarket back to their flat, days before.
But medics found Jacob's eyes were so swollen they could not open and he "looked like a panda" and he had more bruises on his forehead, temples and cheeks.
Jacob, who was later found to have traces of cocaine in his body, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead just over an hour later.
A post-mortem examination found he died from a fatal head injury, likely from being hit against a blunt surface while being shaken.
Some of his injuries were inflicted days or weeks before the final assault.
Ms O'Neill told jurors: "There were 20 marks of recent injury on Jacob's head, face and neck, 11 to his upper limbs, seven to his lower limbs and seven to his trunk."
Drummond denied that he injured Jacob and Lennon said she was being "coerced and threatened" by her boyfriend into not getting help for her son.
The Metropolitan Police statement added: "When police arrived [at the address], Drummond and Lennon told officers that they had gone in to check on Jacob at about 06:00hrs. Drummond, who was Lennon’s boyfriend, said he had gone in and noticed he was not breathing so started CPR.
"Lennon told the officers that they had been away the previous week on holiday and Jacob had fallen over in a playground and hit his head on a kerb, causing an injury. She stated that this had not caused him any issues.
"When interviewed, Drummond said he and Lennon were asleep and had woken to the sound of a loud bang and a little squeal. They both ran into the bedroom and found Jacob face down on the floor and unresponsive.
"He fabricated a story to officers about how Jacob got the injuries.
"Both of the defendants lied to cover up their involvement in Jacob’s death, but they were convicted...following a thorough investigation by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command."
The court heard that Drummond received a juvenile warning in 2005 for holding a knife against his mother's throat and a conviction in 2008 for assaulting another ex-girlfriend by pushing her against a wall.
The other ex-partner he was warned against harassing also claimed he had previously grabbed her around the neck to the point she nearly passed out, jurors were told
The jury deliberated over two days to find the pair guilty of the charges against them.
Mr Justice Sweeting adjourned sentencing until April 24 for reports to be prepared.
Lennon was granted continued bail and Drummond was remanded into custody.
Thanking the jury, the senior judge said: “It’s been a difficult case, I know, with a lot of distressing evidence for you to hear.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said: "The marks found on the body of little Jacob tell a heart-rending tale of cruelty dominating a life cut brutally short by Drummond's cocaine-fuelled abuse.
"Jacob was utterly failed by those who should have been his protectors, and a child safeguarding practice review must leave no stone unturned in establishing whether more could have been done by agencies to protect him.
"We owe this little boy nothing less than a detailed investigation and a full explanation into the circumstances surrounding his tragic death."
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from Scotland Yard, said: "No-one who has listened to the catalogue of injuries inflicted on Jacob Lennon can be anything but horrified.
"It is hard to comprehend how such a young and vulnerable baby could have been so abused.
"Drummond and Lennon sought to cover up their guilt by blaming accidents or feigning ignorance of how he was injured. However, a jury saw through their attempts to avoid the blame and found them both accountable for Jacob's death.
"This case was very distressing and I would like to thank my team and all those who supported the prosecution for their professionalism and diligence. Everyone concerned has had to listen to some truly harrowing evidence, but we were determined to persevere and bring those responsible for Jacob's death to justice."
