A COUPLE WHOSE baby died following a number of violent assaults, and who subsequently tried to cover up the death of the three-month-old, have been found guilty of causing or allowing her death.
Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, and Rosalin Baker, 25, boarded a bus in east London on 28 September 2016, carrying the body of their daughter Imani in a sling.
While on the bus, Baker made several phone calls and then tried to enlist the help of another passenger, saying that there was something wrong with her baby.
When paramedics arrived, they realised that the child had been dead for some time.
A post-mortem revealed that Imani had a fractured skull, a fractured right wrist, and multiple broken ribs consistent with non-accidental injury.
It was this fractured skull that caused fatal injuries to the three-month-old.
Wiltshire and Baker were both found guilty today of causing the death of their daughter Imani, but were found not guilty of her murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said that Imani had suffered at the hands of the very people who were supposed to love, nurture and protect her.
The loss of any child is tragic but to know that baby Imani was tortured and was probably in considerable pain in her last few hours is heart-rendering.
He said that the pair had concocted a “devious plan” in an attempt to cover up the abuse they inflicted on their daughter.
The level of violence and cruelty inflicted on such a young child is something that I have never come across during the course of my career and I hope never to witness anything like this again.
Reviewing lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, Devi Kharran, said: “Despite a large number of very serious and painful injuries which would have been very obvious, neither of the parents sought medical help.
Witnesses have told the court of the shock and distress on that bus once Imani’s lifeless body was discovered. Passengers and passers-by came forward to try to save Imani.
The pair will be sentenced on 18 May.
Kharran said today’s guilty verdicts brought “an end to a tragic case”.
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