Couple convicted of death of 15-month-old Jacob Lennon

A couple have been convicted for their role in the death of a 15-month-old boy who they subjected to weeks of abuse and violent assault.

Toddler Jacob Lennon died of a brain injury on August 27, 2019, and a post mortem discovered 20 other injuries on his body, which had been suffered over weeks before his death.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey on Friday, Jake Drummond, 33, of Tunworth Crescent, Roehampton, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent and the murder Jacob Lennon.

Jacob’s mother, Louise Lennon, 32, of Ingrave Street, Battersea, was found guilty of neglect of a child and causing or allowing the death of a child.

They will be sentenced at the same court on April 24.

The court heard how the investigation began following a call to officers on the day Jacob was killed to a home in Putney.

The London Ambulance Service informed police that they were responding to reports of a child in cardiac arrest.

Jacob was taken to a west London hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A post mortem found traumatic brain injuries, some of which were from a period of days or weeks earlier.

The cause of death was a fatal brain injury inflicted some three to five hours before Jacob’s death.

In addition to this, there were 20 further marks of recent injury on Jacob’s head, face and neck, 11 to his arms, seven to his legs and seven to his body.

His genitals were also found to have suffered severe injuries. Lennon told officers that Drummond claimed to her that these injuries had been caused by another child using a toy plastic knife.

The couple told officers that they had gone in to check on Jacob and Drummond, who was Lennon’s boyfriend, said he had noticed he was not breathing so started CPR.

Lennon told the officers that they had been away the previous week on holiday and Jacob had fallen over in a playground and hit his head on a kerb, causing an injury. She said this had not caused him any issues.

When interviewed, Drummond said he and Lennon were asleep and had woken to the sound of a loud bang and a little squeal. He said they both ran into the bedroom and found Jacob face down on the floor and unresponsive.

This was a fabricated a story to officers about how Jacob got the injuries.

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.”

Pictured top: Jacob Lennon (Picture: The Met)