A MOTHER and father have been jailed following the death of their five-week-old daughter in Burntwood.
Sean Jefferson, 35 and of Walsall, was sentenced to 22 years at Stafford Crown Court after being convicted of murdering Darcy.
The baby’s mother, Amy Leigh Clark, 34 and of Lichfield, was sentenced to seven years in jail after being convicted of causing or allowing the death of her child and two counts of causing or allowing serious physical harm.
Emergency services were called to an address in Burntwood on Mother’s Day in 2022. The pair were arrested the following day, with their child dying from her injuries on 29th March.
An investigation found that Darcy died as a result of a catastrophic head injury. However, this was not an isolated act of violence.
By the time of her death, she had suffered 47 fractured ribs and fractures to both legs. Medical evidence confirmed these were the result of deliberate violence.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Ian Fitzgerald said:
“This was sustained and merciless abuse of a defenceless baby by the very people who were meant to protect her. Darcy was violently assaulted again and again.
“Her father murdered her. Her mother allowed the abuse to continue until it killed her.
“Their actions represent an appalling betrayal of parental responsibility. Jefferson will now spend a significant part of his life in prison, but no sentence can ever reflect the cruelty inflicted on Darcy or repair the devastation left behind.
“Our thoughts remain with her elder sibling.”
