Mum who attacked baby jailed

AMOTHER was branded “manipulative and deceitful” by a judge as she was jailed for seven years for lashing out at her new-born baby, leaving him fighting for his life.

Former law student and escort Elizabeth Wilkins, 24, fractured her baby’s skull and broke his ribs by shaking him and banging his head, a court heard.

She was convicted by a jury after a four-week trial of assaulting her defenceless newborn son in rage and frustration.

The trial heard the child, just three months old, suffered brain damage two years ago and may have developmental problems when he grows up

Wilkins, who is originally from Weston-super-Mare and had been studying law at university, tried to shift the blame on to her former partner and co-defendant, 30-yearold Erick Vanselow.

But he was cleared of all charges after they both went on trial at Plymouth Crown Court in September.

Wilkins, who revealed during the trial she sold sex as an escort to pay for therapy to try to get her son back, was released on bail as an act of mercy, but was this week jailed for seven years.

Judge Peter Johnson launched a scathing attack on her for her lack of remorse.

He told her: “You say you are sorry about what has happened, but this is in the context of saying you did not harm him.

“There is not one jot of remorse about what you have done.

“You maintain you are innocent – you are not.

“You claim you took a lie detector test and passed, but the court also has a lie detector test – it is the jury – and you failed.

“This was not just one assault, it was two.”

The judge said the first assault happened when Wilkins “squeezed” her son in the chest and caused bloodshot eyes.

The second assault left the tot with a fractured skull that nearly killed him after Wilkins “struck his head with a severe blow or hit his head against a hard object”.

The judge added: “The skull fracture left him with likely permanent developmental impairment.

“I find you manipulative and devious and you had only your best interests at heart.

“The insidious suggestion that Erick was responsible for shaking your son I find despicable.

“You deprived him of contact with his father and gave lie after lie to save your own skin.

“There was just one possible perpetrator – you.”

Wilkins was found guilty by a jury on one count of assaulting the baby with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on September 22, 2016.

She was also found guilty of assaulting the baby causing actual bodily harm between August 31 and September 3. This charge related to his bloodshot eyes.

Assault charges against Vanselow were dropped by the prosecution during the trial and he was also found not guilty of allowing the child to suffer serious physical harm.

A probation officer and psychiatrist have written reports to try to explain why Wilkins attacked her only child – although she has always denied any wrongdoing and the sentencing hearing heard how she still maintained her innocence.

The judge told her: “You are an intelligent, articulate and determined woman who had a very hard start in life.

“But you obtained a place to study law at university. It was while studying there that you met Erick and you fell pregnant. This was planned on your part to maintain a relationship with him.

“Your son was born in early July. You felt the baby was displacing you in Erick’s affections. But your plan backfired.”

Wilkins sat in the dock motionless while the judge delivered his sentence.

Her defence barrister, Piers Norsworthy, said that despite the sen- tence his client still protested her innocence.

He added: “There are those that maintain their innocence after the verdict – many who are, in fact, guilty – but there are others who maintain their innocence and years or decades later are proved to be innocent. Whatever the position here, she maintains her innocence.

“Putting that to one side, she is, of course, anxious of a period of custody of any length.

“She has not experienced it before. She was assaulted outside this building during the trial.

“There have been threats of violence and death towards her in a number of ways. A photo of her has already been sent of her to the prison where she is expected to go. They will target her and her time in prison will not be a comfortable one.

“Someone who has been convicted of offences of this nature will find their time even more difficult.”

Mr Norsworthy told the judge how Wilkins had suffered a large degree of trauma from her childhood living with an abusive mother, who she ran away from at the age of 13.

Despite this, he said she had worked hard to try to address her issues and was extremely bright and had gone on to study for a law degree at Plymouth University.

Mr Norsworthy said she was still suffering “moderate depressive disorder” around the time of the offences.

He added: “She does not pose a risk of harm to the public. She is more a danger of harming herself.”

He said the baby was “welllooked-after and well-loved” by Wilkins and added: “Despite what the jury convicted her of it was clear she truly and deeply loved him.”

She said that until the verdict she had continued to see her son on a regular basis but had not had any contact with him since.

I find you manipulative and devious and you had only your best

interests at heart JUDGE PETER JOHNSON

Elizabeth Wilkins