A woman who murdered a 13-month-old baby she was planning to adopt has today been sentenced to life in prison.
Laura Castle was found guilty of killing Leiland-James Corkill on January 6, 2020, less than five months after he was placed under her care by council officials.
The 38-year-old must serve a minimum of 18 years in jail before she can apply for parole - but may spend the rest of her life behind bars.
Castle, from Barrow-in-Furness, burst into tears as victim impact statements from the birth mother and foster carer of little boy at Preston Crown Court.
The Honorable Mr Justice Jeremy Baker stated that she put "selfish desire for a perfect family" ahead of the child's welfare, Lancs Live reports.
Castle and her husband Scott, 34, had a "no returns policy" which led to Leiland-James' tragic death, the court was told.
On January 6 2020, Laura Castle shook the baby violently as she fed him Weetabix for breakfast.
He suffered catastrophic injuries to his brain, spine and eyes and was taken to Alder Hey Children's hospital. However he never regained consciousness and his life support as turned off the following day.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Baker said Leiland-James suffered physical and mental cruelty at the hands of Castle, during the four months he lived at their home. Injuries found on the tot showed he had been pinched and slapped.
Castle and her husband lied to social workers about their attitude to physical chastisement, knowing that if they told the truth Leiland-James would never have been placed in their care, the judge said.
In reality, the baby was slapped regularly, as Castle struggled to cope with her unrealistic expectations of motherhood, he said.
In addition to the life sentence, Castle was also sentenced to 21 months to run concurrently for cruelty towards Leiland-James.
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