Rebecca Shuttleworth

[MatersMate]

Have just seen on the news, she got life, that poor poor little boy. I feel really shaken and sick after seeing it.

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jun/25/rebecca-shuttleworth-jailed-son-murder

It's another horrible case. There seem to be a lot of these going through the courts atm. Hers is quite unusual as most often in this set up what you see is the stepfather figure taking the lead in abuse and the role of the mother is much more complex and difficult to identify. Doesn't seem so in this case. 18 years will put her in early 40s when she gets out. There's no risk anybody would ever let her keep a baby again is there? Some people should not ever be near children.

So, she could get out with good behaviour in time to have another child? Surely they wouldn't let her keep it.

They showed a clip on the news after the baby had died, she won some postcode lottery thing and was jumping around celebrating.

The boyfriend at the time got 9 months suspended for child cruelty.

so no time at all then. Disgusting.

I don't know - her age is given both as 32 and 25. Even at 50 a pregnancy might be possible though I desperately hope not.

A minimum term of 18 years doesn't sound much, the Chief Inspector was saying it was the worst case of child abuse they'd ever seen and that Rebecca Shuttleworth had shown absolutely no remorse.

9 months suspended for the boyfriend also seems like a very light sentence.

I would be interested to read the judge's sentencing comments with the mitigating factors etc - are they available online?

here

THat's a link for the sentencing remarks - which any normal person would find distressing reading btw including a description of his injuries.

I've found the full text of the judge's sentencing remarks - I won't link to it here because it contains all the details of what happened to the little boy and it's quite upsetting to read. But what the judge has said is - starting point for the sentence is 15 yrs. Aggravating factors are that the child was very young, there were repeated assaults, no attempt to seek medical care after the final assault and Rebecca Shuttleworth as his mother failed to protect and look after him.

Mitigating factors -apparently she did not intend to kill him, she was young at the time of the offence, she had no previous convictions (although the sentencing comments state that the child cruelty dates from 2005) and had a troubled upbringing

Aggravating factors plus the concurrent sentencing for child cruelty convictions increase the minimum term to 21 years, the mitigating factors then decrease it to 18 years

It still doesn't seem much for a child's life

Crossposted Northernlurker - thanks

That poor little boy it breaks my heart that people who would make amazing parents can't have children yet monsters like her can.

I found the comments about her being in care herself made it easier for her to manipulate care professionals very interesting.

I hope she serves life, she's already a sociopath so prison may just harden her and turn her even more into a monster- if that's possible.

I wish I hadn't read that

But then a part of me thinks that boy deserves people knowing what happened to him.

I think the judge's summary makes sense though. There is only so much they can do within the law, and I feel he makes his case that this is a minimum sentence.

she won't serve her whole life will she? she should, but she won't.

I started to read it but couldn't finish it...

no I can't read it, the news was bad enough.

the biological father was on the news though, hasn't seen his son in good knows how long, poor baby :(

I wonder would it be OTT to write to the Attorney General about this minimum term? I know the judge did add time onto the statutory 15 yr minimum but the mitigating factors seem to have had a lot of weight given to them. There was significant child cruelty going on in 2005, the only reason she had no previous convictionsfor the judge to take into account is that she was able to get away with it until now.

Lots of people did that at the time of the Baby P case, myself included.

suebfg yes I've written in the past as well. I think it only takes one person to write to the AG and they have to look at the case to see if the sentence should be reviewed. I will do it, if their decision is that the sentences were reasonable then so be it.

Was it only me who couldn't help but notice how much this poor lad looked like 'baby P?' I wish I was outside the court I would have at the very least thrown eggs all over her...but she seemed to have walked in without any 'hassle' Evil scumbag.