South London couple convicted over death of baby boy in harrowing child abuse case

A Battersea mother has been found guilty of child neglect that allowed her toddler to be abused and murdered by her drug addict boyfriend.

Louise Lennon, 32, was convicted after a trial at the Old Bailey in which her partner, Jake Drummond, 33, was found guilty of gross bodily harm and the murder of her young son.

Jacob Lennon was 15-months-old when Drummond, a former caretaker, shook and hit him, inflicting a fatal brain injury.

In the weeks before his death on August 27, 2019, Jacob suffered a catalogue of injuries to his face, body and genitals, while mother Louise, of Ingrave Street, failed to protect him.

Five days before the abuse that killed Jacob, Drummond, of Tunworth Crescent in Wandsworth, sent her a message saying he was putting Jacob into the "torture chamber" in reference to his bedroom, jurors at the Old Bailey heard.

Jake Drummond (Image: Met Police)

The court heard how Jacob was placed under a child protection plan by social services in December 2018, but on August 20, 2019, Lennon lied to the social worker, claiming she was on holiday to avoid a planned visit.

Meanwhile, Drummond had already embarked on "a campaign of deliberately assaulting and hurting Jacob", prosecutor Sally O'Neill KC had said.

Drummond was frustrated at Jacob sleeping in bed with him and Lennon instead of his cot, as the defendant struggled with sleeplessness due to his cocaine habit.

A post-mortem examination at Great Ormond Street Hospital found traumatic brain injuries inflicted over a period of days and weeks before Jacob's death and 45 injuries across the small boy's body.

The pathologist, Ms O'Neill, told jurors: "There were 20 marks of recent injury on Jacob's head, face and neck, 11 to his upper limbs, seven to his lower limbs and seven to his trunk."

She identified a "gaping" 3cm long cut to Jacob's penis from "extreme pinching" or "biting" and a wound to his scrotum.

The prosecutor said: "The injury to the scrotum was a penetrating injury as a result of penetration by a semi-sharp or sharp object such as a small-bladed weapon including a skewer or similar in preceding days."

Louise Lennon (Image: Met Police)

When police arrived on August 27, Drummond and Lennon told officers they had checked on Jacob at around 6:00am and started CPR after noticing he was not breathing.

In a later police interview, Drummond said he and Lennon were asleep when they woke to the sound of a loud bang and a little squeal. They both ran into the bedroom and found Jacob face down on the floor and unresponsive.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley said: "No one who has listened to the catalogue of injuries inflicted on Jacob Lennon can be anything but horrified. It is hard to comprehend how such a young and vulnerable baby could have been so abused. Drummond and Lennon sought to cover up their guilt by blaming accidents or feigning ignorance of how he was injured. However, a jury saw through their attempts to avoid the blame and found them both accountable for Jacob's death. 

"This case was very distressing and I would like to thank my team and all those who supported the prosecution for their professionalism and diligence. Everyone concerned has had to listen to some truly harrowing evidence, but we were determined to persevere and bring those responsible for Jacob's death to justice."

Mr Justice Sweeting adjourned sentencing until April 24 for reports to be prepared.

Lennon was granted continued bail and Drummond was remanded into custody.

Thanking the jury, the senior judge said: "It's been a difficult case, I know, with a lot of distressing evidence for you to hear."