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Mother jailed for hiding baby's death in 2005 | Mother jailed for hiding baby's death in 2005 |
(35 minutes later) | |
A mother has been jailed for 21 months for covering up the death of her baby son for more than a decade. | |
Victoria Gayle, 32, pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court in December to preventing the lawful burial of Kyzer Gayle, who was found in a garden shed. | |
The offence, which relates to a boy born in 2004, only came to light after the death of Gayle's two-year-old daughter Ava in 2015. | |
Investigations are under way into possible official failings. | Investigations are under way into possible official failings. |
'Web of lies' | 'Web of lies' |
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the court that estimates put Kyzer at about 13 or 14 months old when he died. | |
There is no record of any official agency having seen him after he left hospital with his mother in February 2004. | |
Gayle, of no fixed address, had also been charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice. Those charges will now lie on file. | Gayle, of no fixed address, had also been charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice. Those charges will now lie on file. |
Judge Susan Tapping told Gayle "your little boy was denied a decent burial for so many years". | Judge Susan Tapping told Gayle "your little boy was denied a decent burial for so many years". |
She added that "the full truth of his sad and short life will never be known" because the defendant had spun a "web of lies". | |
Kyzer's remains, which showed signs of malnourishment, were discovered in a garden shed at the home of Gayle's mother and step father, although they were unaware of the fact. | |
The body was found encased in grey adhesive tape and concealed in a laundry bag, which was inside a cardboard box, wrapped in a bin liner. | |
Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said an inquiry into Kyzer's whereabouts started after the death of Ava Gayle in August 2015. | |
The toddler died after accidentally swallowing "button battery" while in the company of her mother. | |
It then emerged there were "no records" of anyone having seen Kyzer since the day of his birth and a missing person's inquiry was launched. | |
On 30 May 2016 detectives arrested Gayle on suspicion of murder. | |
The court heard she provided "a lengthy and elaborate account" denying any knowledge of Kyzer's whereabouts and insisting he had been taken away by his father, whom she claimed was a traveller. |