In a harrowing case presented before the Preston Crown Court, a mother stands accused of inflicting fatal injuries on her seven-week-old baby daughter, resulting in the child’s tragic demise. The prosecution alleges that the mother, identified as Laura Langley of Blackpool, caused severe harm to her infant, and that the damage inflicted was not an isolated incident.
The infant, Edith Langley, suffered a total of 33 fractures, with nearly all of her ribs found to be broken, as revealed during proceedings at the court.
Ms. Langley vehemently denies the charges of murder and child cruelty, which are alleged to have transpired between November 14 and November 20, 2020.
The Prosecution, led by Timothy Cray KC, detailed the circumstances surrounding Edith’s untimely death. On November 20, 2020, Ms. Langley placed an emergency call to 999, reporting that her daughter was not breathing. Paramedics rushed to the family’s residence on Belgrave Road, Marton, shortly after the call was placed at 04:00 GMT, initiating chest compressions in an attempt to resuscitate the child. Despite their efforts, Edith could not be revived and was pronounced dead at Blackpool Victoria Hospital at 04:43.
At the time of the incident, Ms. Langley asserted that the death was sudden, unexplained, and inexplicable, shying away from any acknowledgment of her role in the tragedy. She attributed the situation to her consumption of alcohol the previous Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday.
However, post-mortem examination results presented in court indicated that Edith had suffered from “terrible injuries,” as Mr. Cray informed the jury. Most notably, virtually all of Edith’s ribs had been broken, with fractures observed on her ribcage’s back, front, and sides.
Expert pathologists, analyzing the case, concluded that 30 of these fractures were the result of a “severe compressive – or squeezing – force” applied to the child’s ribs in the hours immediately preceding her death. An additional three fractures, identified as cracked ribs, had occurred two to four days prior to the tragic incident.
Mr. Cray emphasized that these injuries were not isolated incidents. He stated, “The defendant carried out a serious assault on Edith in the days before and, later, she carried out a second and fatal attack of the same kind.”
Surprisingly, no concerns about Edith’s well-being were raised by professionals, and friends and neighbors believed Ms. Langley to be a caring mother. However, text messages sent by the accused in the hours leading up to Edith’s demise shed light on her emotional state. She expressed a desire for adult company and alcohol, stating that Edith was being particularly demanding on that fateful day.
The prosecutor noted that Ms. Langley’s blood alcohol level, measured at the time she dialed 999, exceeded double the legal drink-drive limit.
Crucially, Ms. Langley provided no explanation to doctors, police, or friends that would account for the injuries subsequently discovered. Nonetheless, jurors were informed that she had informed Edith’s father that she had fallen asleep on the couch with her daughter on her chest.
Medical experts, as Mr. Cray asserted, have categorically rejected any accidental explanation for the injuries sustained by Edith Langley.
The trial is ongoing, with more details and evidence expected to be presented as the proceedings unfold.
