'Love took his first breath, evil took his last' says birth mother of Leiland-James Corkill

An inquest into the death of a 13-month-old from Whitehaven, who was killed by the woman who was caring for him, has found "holes" in the adoption system.

Leiland-James Corkill, from Whitehaven, died in January 2021 from severe head injuries caused by being shaken.

The coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw said the failure of the Castle family to provide truthful information to social services was a significant factor in his death.

Adding that had he stayed with his birth mother, he most likely would "be with us today".

Laura Corkill, Leiland-James' birth mother, said she wanted to keep her son and had made positive changes to her life in order to do so.

He was taken into care by the then Cumbria County Council when he was 2 days old, and lived with a foster family for eight months before being placed with the Castle family in Barrow.

Laura Castle admitted manslaughter, but following a trial was found guilty of his murder and jailed for at least 18 years, while her husband, Scott Castle, was cleared of all charges.

The inquest also heard how much the Castle family had relied on the help of their parents and other family members, and how this had been significantly reduced during the pandemic.

It outlined that social care visits were also limited due to Covid restrictions.

Independent safeguarding consultant Nicki Pettitt produced a safeguarding practice review following Leiland-James' death.

She concluded that "Cumbria County Council followed policy and procedures", adding that his would-be adoptive parents were found to be a "good match" for him.

"Economical with the truth"

At the time, authorities were not aware that Castle and her husband Scott were in debt, and key medical information about mental health and excessive drinking was not disclosed.

Ms Pettitt pointed out flaws in the background checks of the couple, with parts of the assessment relying on the couple's honesty in declaring debt and medical conditions.

"Much of the system relies on the self report of their medical history and their current health."

"The system relies on adopters being open and honest about their physical and mental health."

"They have to provide bank statements - a bank statement doesn't tell you how much debt you are in."

Dr Shaw concluded the Castles had been "economical with the truth".

He added: "It does seem to me in this case, you may be looking at a rogue couple.

"I feel for those who want to adopt, do so honestly and in good faith.

"I don't know how you can stop someone from pulling the wool over the panel's eyes, if they are determined to do so."

Eight weeks before she killed him, Laura Castle told social workers she was struggling to bond and she didn't think she loved him.

A care planning meeting was agreed but never took place.

Penny Hiddle, one of the family's social workers gave evidence on Tuesday.

She told the inquest she spoke to Laura Castle while Leiland-James was in hospital.

Ms Hindle said Castle kept repeating that Leiland-James had fallen from the sofa.

She described how the team had "believed they were being honest".

The following day a meeting took place which showed the injuries could not be a result of an accident.

The coroner, Dr Nicholas Shaw, described how Laura Castle had sent a message to her husband while he was on a night shift.

The message read: "This isn't working. We are going to have to ask Penny to take him back."

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