11 years for baby torturers

A couple who tortured their 16-week-old baby daughter before staging her death on a bus in a ‘cynical charade’ were each jailed for 11 years.

Father-of-23 Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, gave girlfriend Rosalin Baker, 25, the thumbs up as she boarded the number 25 in Stratford, east London, with the body of little Imani strapped to her chest.

The baby, who had been born prematurely at 28 weeks, was rushed to hospital, but she had already died from a fractured skull and brain injuries similar to those caused in a car crash or a fall from a first floor window.

Imani’s wrist was broken by her arm being twisted and she suffered 40 rib fractures when her tiny body was squeezed in her parents’ cramped bedsit in Manor Park, east London.

CCTV captured former music producer Wiltshire kissing Baker goodbye and giving her a ‘good luck’ hand gesture as she hopped on the busy bus after topping up her Oyster card on the morning of 28 September last year.

Baker sat texting on her mobile phone for some 20 minutes before raising the alarm, but remained ‘cold and calm’ as panicking passengers tried to save her daughter’s life.

Experts said Imani, who had weighed just 1lb when she was born, had already been dead for hours when she arrived at Newham General Hospital.

Baker claimed Wiltshire had caused their child’s horrific injuries before forcing her to get on the bus in a bid to frame her.

Wiltshire denied ever having been violent towards any of his 25 children – two of whom have died – or the 18 women who gave birth to them and said he had no idea how Imani had been killed.

Last month the pair were acquitted of murder but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC today (Thurs) jailed Baker and Wiltshire for 11 years each.

‘Although Imani’s life was short the last part of it can only have been terrifying, painful and bewildering,’ he said.

‘Both of you at all times put your own interests ahead of those of a helpless and dependent baby for whom you were responsible.’

The judge continued: ‘Although the jury could not be sure who was responsible for the head injuries it is safe and sure to conclude, given the extent of the and Imani’s vulnerability and helplessness, that whoever did it must have have intended to cause her really serious bodily harm.’

He added: ‘Without a matter of hours of her death and when you both knew she was dead you embarked on a cynical charade to try and pretend she had simply stopped breathing when she was on the bus with Ms Ms Baker rather than from violence in Mr Wiltshire’s flat.

‘You used the dead body of your baby daughter as part of an attempt to conceal what really happened.

‘Once Ms Baker got onto the bus, Mr Wiltshire kissed her and gave her a thumbs up.’

Speaking after sentencing the Met’s DCI Gary Holmes said: ‘The loss of any child is tragic but to know that baby Imani was tortured and was probably in considerable pain in her last few hours is heart-rendering.

‘Baker and Wiltshire orchestrated the most devious of plans in an attempt to cover up the abuse that had been inflicted upon their daughter.’

Wiltshire, known in the music industry as ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ and ‘Pepper Head’, said ‘I was pleased, because, you know, I’m still firing’ when he found out Baker was pregnant.

But she claimed he dished out savage beatings and said his violence towards her that had brought about Imani’s premature birth on 2 June last year.

Baker visited Imani just 16 times over the 64 days she was in hospital, whilst Wiltshire did not visit his daughter once.

On 15 August, Imani was placed on the child protection register when it was noted Baker had not built a relationship with her.

Her social worker last saw Baker her at her mother’s home in Colchester on 19 September just before Imani was taken to the Shrub End Surgery for a vaccination.

From there she took Imani to live Wiltshire’s tiny bedsit, where she was subjected to at least three severe assaults in the nine says before her death.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson QC said: ‘As Imani was being squeezed so that her ribs fractured she would have expressed distress and fear and pain, certainly before she also suffered the injuries to her brain.

‘Anyone in that tiny space could not have missed it.

‘Anyone present when her arm had been pulled and twisted and her wrist fractured would not have been able to miss it.’

CCTV captured Baker topping up her Oyster card before boarding the number 25 bus on Romford Road at 9.34am.

Mr Atkinson said: ‘She was waved off by her partner, who gave her a thumbs up as the bus moved away.

‘During the course of the bus journey Baker suddenly sought help from her fellow passengers for a problem that she said she had just identified with her daughter.

‘Those members of the public, presented with the nightmare of an infant who was not breathing, did all they could to help.

‘They were panicking and distressed. In contrast, Baker was cold and calm.’

Baker sat texting on her mobile phone as paramedics and doctor’s battled to save her child and remained unemotional when Imani was pronounced dead at 11.30am.

Baker and Wiltshire were arrested on the afternoon of 28 September and both lied to police, even denying Wiltshire was Imani’s father.

In court, Baker blamed her boyfriend for Imani’s death, telling jurors he had also undressed the dead baby, changed her nappy and put her in new clothes.

‘I was scared, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do. I was just crying, stood there,’ she said.

‘Jeffrey picked up Imani and put her inside the harness. As he was doing that he was saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry”.’

She said she was so scared of Wiltshire she went along with the plan, adding: ‘When I was sat on the bus all I could think of was, “he tried to frame me for killing my own baby”.’

But Wiltshire, who was diagnosed with diabetes during the trial, said he had no idea Imani was dead until he was arrested for her murder.

‘I can’t describe it. That’s never happened to me before,’ he said.

‘I thought the mark around her eye was the reason they were making a big fuss. I thought they were making a big fuss about nothing and when they found out it was an accident then it would be okay.’

Baker and Wiltshire, both of Morris Avenue, Manor Park, east London, denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. They were acquitted of murder but found guilty of the less serious offence.