Social services placed my son into the home of 'a monster' says Leiland-James Corkill's mother

An inquest into the death of a baby boy from Whitehaven has been hearing evidence from his birth mother, and social workers, this morning.

In a written statement, his biological mother Laura Corkill said he had been placed into the home of 'a monster'.

Leiland-James Corkill was killed by his foster mother Laura Castle in January 2021.

He was fatally shaken to death at their home in Barrow-in-Furness.

Castle, who was in the process of adopting the 13-month-old, was jailed after being found guilty of his murder.

On the first day of the inquest, social workers told the court in Carlisle they had 'no concerns' about the suitability of Laura Castle.

Social workers said they were only made aware of attachment issues eight weeks before Leiland-James died.

Concerns were raised in November 2020, just a few months before Leiland-James' death, that Mrs Castle had said she did not love the baby and was struggling to bond with him.

The Castles were told by a senior social worker she would not support any application to formally adopt Leiland-James.

Following his death, a review was carried out by Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership (CSCP), which found that checks on his foster parents were not rigorously checked or challenged.

It found social workers did not know Castle had mental health problems, was drinking heavily and in debt.

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