Posted on 01/14/2005 12:34:21 PM PST by Rutles4Ever
A wealthy couple who killed their three-year-old adopted son because he was not the "perfect child" they craved were jailed for five years yesterday.
Ian and Angela Gay became incensed that Christian Blewitt didn't live up to their expectations of the ideal family.
Five weeks into an adoption trial period, as their frustration grew, they force-fed him more than four teaspoons of salt as a punishment for refusing his food before dumping him in a cot, where he collapsed. He suffered severe brain injuries, a heart attack and died in hospital four days later.
The prosecution alleged that he had also been either beaten or shaken after doctors found that he had 11 areas of bruising around the brain.
The couple, who had also adopted Christian's younger brother and sister, were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter.
Sentencing them at Worcester Crown Court, Mr Justice Pitchers said Christian's behaviour was "hardly out of the ordinary" for a three-year-old, even one that hadn't had Christian's "difficult start" in life. He was taken into care shortly after his first birthday and then spent time with foster parents.
He said the Gays, from Halesowen, West Midlands, were "intelligent people" and had made "a deliberate choice in cold blood" how to punish Christian.
He accepted that it was a single episode of abuse and that they were unaware the dose would prove fatal.
He accused Angela Gay, 37, of being "entirely selfish". Her return to work as Christian lay critically ill showed "where her priorities lay". He added: "You were interested only in what was best for you, not what was best for him.''
As sentence was passed, the Gays held hands and showed no emotion. Having left the dock they embraced before being led away separately.
Mrs Gay's parents, Margaret and Royston Swain, both 61, said they were "completely devastated" by the verdicts. Mr Swain said: "Angela has worked hard all her life and was one of the few actuaries in the UK. She would have been the perfect mother.'' Christian's natural mother, Tracey Osik, 23, said: "I was furious when I heard that they only got five years. It should have been life after what they did to Christian. I might not have been the best mother but they had all the advantages."
Christian Blewitt with his natural mother Tracey Osik Christian's maternal grandmother, Susan Osik, said her daughter "didn't give a damn" about her son or what happened to him, preferring to spend her time nightclubbing.
She said: "Tracey wasn't looking after him properly. All his clothes were wet. I was concerned about his health. He started losing a lot of weight. He had to go to hospital on a drip.
"He didn't have much but that couple had everything. They should have been able to give Christian, his brother and sister a far better life.
"They should have looked after him properly. Five years isn't enough. It was very cruel, and they should throw away the key."
Det Ch Insp Steve Cullen, from West Mercia police, said: "Christian led a brief life and we can at least be thankful that the period he spent with his foster carers were happy times. We are pleased that justice has been done for Christian today."
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I really doubt the salt was the deciding factor (at least if it was really only 4 teaspoons), though disrupting electrolyte balances can be fatal. That's what happened to the little adopted girl who died from the "forced water drinking therapy" that her idiot adoptive parents were inflicting on her. Dilutes the blood sodium levels to where cells can't regulate their hydration level, brain swells up, and death ensues. From the sound of this story, though, the blows to the head and resulting brain damage were probably the main cause of death, per the details in the article in post #28.
This just goes to show how dangerous it is to have salt in a house with children.
The killing is terrible.
Why does the article claim to know exactly why they did though, say they killed the child because it was not perfect? How can we know exactly why they did it?
Everyone except the child in this pitiful story is a selfish scum-bag.
"...and this is substantially different from the millions of "unwanted" children killed a year how?"
Supposedly, adoption of 'unwanted' children is the answer to the abortion nightmare.
But it certainly was no answer for this child.
There is no abortion story here. The biological mother did not abort her child...she did what most pro-life advocates want and gave the child a chance. Someone murdered that child! How are you connecting Yates and Smith??
This is very sad. How did these people ever get past the screening? Must have been a lot of lies. Those kids sure didn't get 'perfect' parents. Barf. I have looked into adoption myself and I can say they are very upfront about expectations and the kids needs, what to expect, how to handle things. But then most agencies probably expect parents who are really ready to parent.
Most abortions are committed in the name of convenience, because the mother doesn't want a child right now, or doesn't want an 'imperfect' child.
Smith, Yates, and these freaks killed their children for basically the same reason. I'm equating these child killers (who killed their children after they were born) with the child killers who kill their children before they are born because they have very similar motivation.
Unfortunately, the law permits preborn children.
The law is an ass, an idiot.
Unfortunately, the law permits killing preborn children.
How very, very sad.
What about Anthony Martin? He was defending his property and probably his life, he was put in prison in England.
I would be happy to join you in shortening these individual's lifes.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR CHILD ABUSE!! NONE
Damn. That's just cruel. I never realized salt could have such an effect. Then again, like I said, the 11 bruises around the brain were more than just cause to fry these animals.
God Bless Christian -a beautiful ray of light now departed.
I do see your point
Moral Absolutes Ping.
Why is life so cheap? Why do cold blooded murderers go free? Why are these vampires getting only 5 years?
Bring back swift execution for murderers. It is the honorable thing to do.
Abortion makes killing everyone easier.
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
P.S. - when life is valued "because" of something, then life has no value. IOW, if life is valued "because" it's a life worth living, or intelligence is high enough, or the person is beautiful enough, or enjoying life enough, or wins the popularity conest - then we all need to be looking over our shoulder. When life is valued only because some human places value on it, then we are no better than animals.
Life is precious because every soul is a child of God. Not because of anything else.
"Are we witnessing the slippery slope of Roe vs. Wade?"
Not as much as you are witnessing the slippery slope of adoption mythology and Adoption Speak.
"All the advantages" ...except for mental stability.
Why wasn't this child's mother given the tough love ( ie, confrontation about personal responsibilities) and help she needed to care for her own?
Why was this defenseless three year old placed in the home of murderers ?
One word: Money.
Money.
Here in the USA, child protective services (CPS) earns bonuses of thousands of dollars of federal money for each child they place outside its natural home, leading to horrible abuses of natural parents who would clearly benefit by developing parenting skills. A disgrace!
CAPTA, 1974
http://www.nkmr.org/english/capta.htm
That's really where it started here in the US.
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