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Starved Daniel Pelka's mother dies in jail | Starved Daniel Pelka's mother dies in jail |
(35 minutes later) | |
A mother who starved and murdered her four-year-old son has died in jail. | A mother who starved and murdered her four-year-old son has died in jail. |
Magdalena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek were each jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murdering Daniel Pelka. | Magdalena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek were each jailed for a minimum of 30 years for murdering Daniel Pelka. |
The child was starved and beaten for months before he died from a head injury in March 2012 at his Coventry home. | The child was starved and beaten for months before he died from a head injury in March 2012 at his Coventry home. |
Luczak, 29, died in her cell at HMP Foston Hall Prison in Derbyshire, the Ministry of Justice said. | |
She and her partner, both originally from Poland, had denied murder, blaming each other for Daniel's death. | |
The boy, who would have turned eight on Wednesday, weighed just over a stone and a half when he died. | |
He was denied food, forced to perform punishment exercises, confined in a locked box room, poisoned with salt, and subjected to water torture. | |
Birmingham Crown Court heard he saw a doctor in hospital for a broken arm, arrived at school with bruises and facial injuries, and was seen scavenging for food. | |
A teaching assistant said he was a "bag of bones". | |
Judge Mrs Justice Cox described his ordeal as "incomprehensible brutality". | |
Campaign of cruelty | |
The judge told Luczak and Krezolek they had caused Daniel "severe physical and mental suffering". | |
She said his punishments were "designed to humiliate" and that he was "a victim of chronic and systematic starvation" in a "campaign of cruelty". | |
In December three Court of Appeal judges threw out challenges by the pair. They rejected a bid by Krezolek to appeal against his murder conviction and dismissed claims from both that their sentences were "excessive". | |
Luczak was found unresponsive in her cell at about 07:15 BST. | Luczak was found unresponsive in her cell at about 07:15 BST. |
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Paramedics attended and she was pronounced dead at the scene. | A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Paramedics attended and she was pronounced dead at the scene. |
"As with all deaths in custody there will be an investigation by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman." | "As with all deaths in custody there will be an investigation by the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman." |
A serious case review found chances were missed to save Daniel, who was "invisible" at times. | |
The report concluded that "no professional tried sufficiently hard enough" to talk to him. | |
A GP, Dr Mohammad Pathan, was given a warning on 1 July this year for not acting adequately over concerns raised about Daniel. | |
Dr Pathan did not provide a "safety net" when teachers raised concerns over Daniel's appearance and weight. He was found guilty of misconduct in June but remains fit to practise. |