The heartbroken mum of a baby boy murdered by his foster mum said she tried countless times to get him back before his death.
Laura Corkill's son Leiland-James Corkill was removed from her care when he was just two days old. He is said to have lived happily with his temporary foster mum, Charlotte Day, for seven months before a court ruled that he was to be adopted - and Laura and Scott Castle were a suitable match.
In May of this year, Laura Castle was found guilty of murdering 13-month-old Leiland-James after a court was told she had 'leathered' the child who suffered fatal head injuries. The toddler had been placed in the care of Castle and her husband Scott in August 2020.
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Tragically, Laura Castle lied to social workers, claiming she did not believe in using physical chastisement and promising to continue using the name given to Leiland-James by his mum. Within weeks, Castle had started referring to the baby as simply 'James' - and in cruel text messages sent to her husband Scott, 34, she called him 'top t**t', 'devils spawn' and 'k***head.'
On January 6, 2021, Laura Castle shook Leiland-James violently, causing catastrophic injuries to his brain, spine and eyes. Emergency services were called to the family home in Barrow-in-Furness and the baby was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, but never regained consciousness.
Leiland-James was kept on life support for his birth mother to say her last goodbyes. Castle was later sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 18 years.
Leiland-James' birth mum Laura said she was "shattered" when he was taken from her and never stopped trying to get him back. Speaking to the BBC, she said she is still yet to even see any paperwork regarding his care arrangements, and had decorated his nursery ahead of his birth.
Cumbria County Council has a different version of events and says in the last month of her pregnancy the plan was to remove Laura's son at birth. They say they told her this three times. Laura disputes this, and she says she is still waiting to see the paperwork, and that she only received confirmation when the social worker was taking her son from the hospital.
Laura had had children removed previously, after being the victim of domestic abuse. Weeks after asking for help to remove her abusive partner from the home, her children were taken instead
Laura said she did everything in her power and believed she would be able to keep Leiland-James in her care. A council spokesperson told the BBC that where there are concerns that a child's needs cannot be met, they have a duty to act and they work hard to support and inform birth parents.
Workers from Women Out West, an organisation which helps women who have suffered domestic abuse and violence, have supported Laura and believe decisions were made based on Laura's past. They maintain there was a belief the violence she faced previously could happen again, putting Leiland-James at risk.
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