An evil mum who turned a blind eye as her partner tortured and murdered her son has been jailed for 10 years.
Mother Louise Lennon looked the other way as her partner subjected baby Jacob Lennon to inhumane abuse - together joking they'd put him in a "torture chamber" and sharing sick memes about their cruelty.
The 32-year-old from Roehampton, London, was jailed alongside vindictive Jake Drummond on Friday for the campaign of terror against defenceless 15-month-old Jacob Lennon which ultimately ended in his murder.
The trial heard Lennon turned a blind eye and even joked about the abominable cruelty of little Jacob as Drummond, 33, beat and attacked him causing injuries all over his body.
Drummond was locked up for 32 years for murder while Lennon was jailed for 10 years for causing or allowing Jacob's death.
Drummond's beatings of the youngster left him with appalling injuries which made him resemble "a panda", the Old Bailey heard.
Defence lawyers blamed the drug addict's "anger management problems" for the disgusting abuse, saying he had "poor self-control and a lack of insight into his conduct".
Over text, the couple had 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 implement in question was thought to have been a Mr Potato Head plastic tool.
Sadistic Drummond had also burned Jacob's forehead with hair removal cream, it was heard.
Five days before Jacob's death in August 2019, Drummond sent Lennon a meme picturing actor Ben Stiller from film Happy Gilmore which said, "now you will go to sleep or I will put you to sleep".
Lennon also joked about her own son's injuries, describing him as looking like a "madman" due to the bruises he was covered in.
Jacob was rushed to hospital on August 27, 2019, after Lennon called an ambulance saying he had stopped breathing and was vomiting.
The mum told ambulance workers she and Drummond had heard a "bump" from downstairs while he was sleeping and had fallen from his cot, with the youngster dying of a head injury.
Prosecutor Sally O'Neill told the court: "His eyes were so swollen they were unable to open them," adding: "His eyes were so darkly bruised he looked like a panda."
Both tried to blame each other for being responsible for Jacob's death, but a jury convicted Drummond on March 17 of murder.
The pair had begun dating in June that year, as Drummond - who has a history of cocaine and cannabis use - started spending time at Lennon's home in Roehampton.
Traces of both drugs were found in blood tests on Jacob, the court heard.
In their trial, Drummond denied responsibility for Jacob’s injuries and Lennon claimed she was “coerced and threatened”.
Her barrister Jane Bickerstaff KC said she had been “deceived” by the men in her life and was a victim of Drummond’s “violent and sadistic” behaviour.
Ms Bickerstaff said Lennon had been “extremely fearful” that Social Services would see Jacob’s bruises and her case be “re-categorised” after being downgraded on July 29 as a result of her efforts.
Mitigating for Drummond, Anne Whyte KC said he had “anger management problems” but there was no evidence of “gratification or glee” at harming Jacob.
Drummond had previous convictions for having drugs, holding a knife against his mother’s throat and assaulting an ex-girlfriend by pushing her against a wall.
In the televised sentencing, the senior judge said Drummond was “emotionally volatile” which was made worse by his drug use.
He rejected Lennon’s claim that she was coercively controlled by her boyfriend, saying she had prioritised her relationship over her son’s welfare.
The judge said photographs taken by Lennon of Jacob’s injuries were “truly shocking” and noted one of her friends had described his head as looking like a “basketball”.
He said: “Perhaps the most haunting photograph is not one of those that show injury but that taken on August 12 when Jacob appears well, a bright and cheerful toddler – less than a fortnight later he was dead.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, of Scotland Yard, said it was the saddest case of his 30-year career, and “distressing and emotional” for all those involved.
He said what Jacob suffered was “truly awful and cruel” with the fatal head injury likened to being dropped from a first floor building.
“There were over 20 individual injuries to his body at the time of his death.
“One of the most significant injuries was the injury to his genitalia, which was cruel and sadistic in its own right,” Mr Jolley said.
He added that the defendants were “quite despicable” as they joked about Jacob’s suffering in messages punctuated by laughing emojis.
