A SOLIHULL mother and her ex-boyfriend have been jailed for the manslaughter of her young daughter.
Little Kaylee-Jayde Priest suffered abdominal and chest injuries, including broken ribs, during the attack at mum Nicola Priest’s home in Stonebridge Crescent, Kingshurst, on August 8 last year.
Nicola Priest, 22, of Kingshurst, and Callum Redfern, 22, of Temple Street, Dudley, were convicted of the manslaughter of Kaylee-Jayde following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Priest was also found guilty of an offence of child cruelty which had occurred some time before Kaylee-Jayde’s death.
Priest was jailed for 15 years and Redfern for 14 years.
Nicola Priest called for an ambulance the next day, but Kaylee-Jayde was already dead when the ambulance arrived.
Redfern blamed Priest for the violent assault but prosecutors suggested he lashed out at the toddler in frustration on hearing her calls for attention after being put to bed at 7pm behind her security gate.
West Midlands Police said it was unclear who delivered the fatal blows.
West Midlands Police said Priest’s attention was on uploading videos and images to Snapchat – including ones of her love bites – and messaging late into the night.
Pathology tests on the girl’s body also revealed other partially-healed fractures to her sternum, ribs and jaw, which showed it was not the first time she’d been subjected to serious violence.
None of the injuries had been reported to the police or a doctor or been medically treated and neither Priest nor Redfern were able to explain how these injuries occurred.
The police investigation uncovered past message exchanges between the pair discussing physical punishments dished out to the defenceless toddler.
Grandmother Debbie Windmill said: “I could never stop staring at the smile on her beautiful face. I loved every moment watching her develop to nearly school age; preparing to buy my first grandchild her pre-school uniform was something that filled me with such happiness.
“I couldn’t wait to see her in it, but this opportunity was stolen from me in the most brutal of ways.
“Everybody deserves the gift of life. Kaylee-Jayde deserved to show the world who she could have been and what greatness she could have brought to this world. Nanny will forever hold you in her heart.”
Detective Inspector Adam Jobson, said: “This was a heart-breaking case in which an innocent child has experienced terrible suffering at the hands of those who should be caring for her.
“Throughout our investigation we strived to find out exactly how and why Kaylee-Jayde Priest died – sadly it will only ever be Priest and Redfern who know the exact sequence of events that day.
“My heart goes out to the family of Kaylee-Jayde who loved this little girl and had no idea of the suffering she was enduring.”
