A MUM has spoken of her torment after her baby son was murdered by the woman trying to adopt him.
Leiland-James Corkhill was placed under the care of Laura Castle, 38, and her husband Scott Castle, 35, just five months before he died.
The 12-month-old suffered catastrophic head injuries at their home in Barrow-in-Furness including a bleed on the brain.
His birth mum, also called Laura, has now opened up to reveal her heartache after Castle was jailed for life for murder in May.
She told how Leiland-James was removed by social services just two days after she gave birth – leaving her "shattered".
Tragically, she was not able to even touch her son after he was battered by Castle as the hospital room became a crime scene.
Recalling the horror, Laura told the BBC: "I got a phone call on January 6 saying that Leiland was in hospital.
"[I said] what happened? They turned round and said apparently he'd had an accident and fell off the sofa and he was critical.
"I asked the person who phoned me 'which hospital? I want to go down to where my baby is'.
"And then they wouldn't give me it until 24 hours later – and then they eventually told me it was Liverpool Alder Hey Hospital. By the time I got down there, he'd already been dead. I just froze to begin with. I froze for about five, ten minutes.
"I just froze, I just froze on the spot. I didn't know what to do. And then eventually I went into his room and I just wanted to pick him up, but they wouldn't allow me."
Most read in The Sun
THE MAGIC TUCH 
Thomas Tuchel holidays with new Brazilian girlfriend, 35, days after divorce
Neighbours actor slams show for caving into 'cancel culture' by snubbing him
Horror moment Brit, 22, 'delivers fatal blow to his dad on Marmaris holiday'
Love Island's legendary baby task returns TONIGHT as villa wakes to screaming kids
When Laura fell pregnant with Leiland-James, she was working with domestic violence charity Women Out West following an abusive relationship.
Her previous children had been taken into care when she asked the authorities for help to remove her partner from the home.
Laura believed it would be different with Leiland-James and was "on cloud nine" after not hearing from social services until she was 22 weeks pregnant.
She told how one social worker appeared to find "no problems" so she set about preparing for her son's arrival by painting his room blue and white.
But the mum said her hopes were dashed when a new social worker took on her case and delved heavily into her broken past.
Laura added: "My mind was in two places. I feared they were going to whip everything away, but I was determined to carry on. I thought 'they are not getting him'.
"I jumped through every hoop to bring Leiland-James home."
TRAGIC TOT
Cumbria County Council claim they told Laura at least three times they were going to remove her son at birth, which she disputes.
Laura instead says the first she knew about Leiland-James being taken away was when she was in the hospital after giving birth.
Initially, the tot was placed with a temporary foster carer but Laura never gave up on getting her son back.
He was a "looked-after child" before he was approved to live with the Castles.
The move in August 2020 had been approved by Cumbria Children's Services Department, which was at the centre of the Poppi Worthington scandal.
In November that year, a social worker reported concerns Castle did not love Leiland-James after she called him "lazy" and "big".
A review took place the next month and the couple were told officials would not support an application for a permanent adoption unless further therapeutic work was undertaken.
But the Castles wanted to plough ahead regardless as the adoptive mum's family loved the boy.
A care planning meeting was recommended for the next year.
But in January 2021, Castle called 999 and claimed Leiland-James had fallen from a sofa and injured his head.
He was rushed to hospital in cardiac arrest but sadly never regained consciousness and was declared dead the next day.
Medics at Alder Hey later raised concerns the injuries were not consistent with the account given by Castle.
CHILLING TEXTS
The couple were arrested and their harrowing texts discovered when officers seized their mobile phones.
Castle referred to the baby as a "proper n*bhead", a "d**k" and a s**t bag" and admitted to "smacking" the child in the messages.
In one text she wrote: "I honestly really don't like him lately, hes an absolute moaning winge bag and I totally regret doin this [sic].
"I'm goin to lose my mind. He just p****s me off all the time, can never just have a nice day or night ever.
"Although I need to stop smacking him cos if I start I'll not stop at one point and it's not getting us anywhere and then I feel bad."
She then messaged the next day: "I've just absolutely leathered him, I can('t) take this anymore, he's gonna have to go."
'I WANTED HIM TO STOP'
On September 25, Castle messaged her husband saying she had "leathered" Leiland-James again as she was at her "wits end".
She added: "I'm just an abusive parent so it seems."
In court, Castle said the baby was "screaming" after breakfast on the morning of January 6 last year.
She told her barrister, David McLachlan QC: "I shook my beautiful boy. I just wanted him to stop crying."
Castle explained Leiland-James hit his head on the back of the arm of the sofa and fell off her knee to the floor.
She added: "I picked him up. I just couldn't take the crying. I don't know who that person is and then it's like I realised what had happened and I thought he was winded.
"I picked him up and his hands were like stiff, then he went floppy. He was like gasping and I just though he was winded."
Castle sobbed as she was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years in May after being convicted of murder.
The mum had already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted she shook him so he would "stop crying".
Husband Scott was cleared of causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty.
A Safeguarding Practice Review report into the case is being published by Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership this afternoon.
Laura has branded Castle an "evil sadistic monster" but believes the council also bears some responsibility for her son's death.
She believes more needs to be done for mothers who have been in abusive relationships and says Leiland-James would still be alive if he had been allowed home with her.
Read More on The Sun
Five million people still waiting for free cost of living payments
I live on the world’s biggest cruise ship but my cabin’s SO tiny
Laura added: "I lost count of how many times I asked for my baby back.
"It's as though I've been wiped off the face of the earth. When he came home, it was in a wooden box."
Source: Read Full Article
