A man has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years for murdering his 10-month-old stepson, who sustained dozens of rib fractures in at least five separate assaults before his death.
Craig Crouch, 39, was convicted on Wednesday of murdering Jacob Crouch, who was found dead in his cot on 30 December 2020 in Linton, Derbyshire, as well as three counts of child cruelty.
Gemma Barton, 33, Jacob’s mother who was acquitted of his murder, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for causing or allowing the death of a child and one count of child cruelty.
During a seven-week trial, Derby crown court heard how Jacob died from an infection caused by a perforated bowel from blunt force trauma as a result of an action such as a punch, kick or stamp by Crouch, who had been regularly assaulting the child for months.
Medical examinations found that he also had 39 rib fractures, 19 visible bruises and internal injuries.
Passing sentence on Friday, Mr Jutice Kerr said Crouch was responsible for an “abuse of trust of the grossest kind” against Jacob.
“He was a small baby who had not yet learned to walk or talk. Sadly, he never did so,” he said. “You caused Jacob acute physical and mental suffering. You inflicted first bruises and then fractured ribs on this little baby.
“You have not shown any remorse for what you did. You have not explained what you did, or apologised.”
Addressing Barton, Kerr said: “You must have been aware at least some of the bruising went beyond accidental knocks and scrapes. You were Jacob’s main carer. The evidence was there to see, but you failed to face up to it.”
Barton was four months pregnant with Jacob when she met Crouch on a dating app and the pair soon began referring to the baby as “our little boy” as their relationship developed. Crouch was named as the boy’s father on his birth certificate.
In a statement read to the court, Jacob’s biological father, Andrew Smith, who was convicted of assaulting Barton during their relationship, said: “I never got to meet him. All I have is a photo to remember him by.
“I will never be able to hug him and celebrate his achievements. I will never be able to buy him his first pint when he turns 18. You have taken Jacob and all the memories we would have shared.
“The pain will be with me for a lifetime. It will never go away. My boy has some justice now, but it will never be enough for his suffering.”
Malcolm Barton, Jacob’s maternal grandfather, said the family had known that Crouch was a liar but “he did not come over to me as a violent person”.
He said: “We did not like Craig at all. Gemma told us that she was going to give Jacob the surname Crouch when he was born, which we thought was inappropriate. He was such a happy little lad. He was sitting on the floor and crawling about, and I remember he was playing with his great-grandad’s walking stick.”
Kerr said Crouch was “domineering, aggressive, boastful and arrogant” towards Barton, who responded with “submissive and meek misplaced affection”, as he acknowledged she was a victim of domestic abuse in the relationship.
He said Crouch had used “lies and bullying tactics” to deflect any suspicions Barton had about his treatment of Jacob, and some of his outlandish lies included claims he “regularly met with senior politicians including the prime minister” and flew a helicopter.
Kerr said Crouch had played on Barton’s “low self-esteem” and convinced her she “needed his help to be a good mother”.
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, said 22 of the rib fractures occurred in the week of Jacob’s death.
“Each fracturing event required sustained, significant force by adult hands. The severe symptoms of that would have been readily evident to a parent,” she said.
“Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this case is that if either of these parents had gone for medical help, Jacob would have lived.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said the case was “shocking and deeply upsetting”.
“Jacob was one of 36 children who died in England following abuse and maltreatment at home in 2020. For large parts of the year, due to lockdowns, children were cut off from their usual support systems and the wider community, making those at risk of abuse more vulnerable to serious harm,” they said.
