Murdered toddler can be buried

The toddler, raised in a nightmarish twilight world of drugs, violence and abuse, will at last find peace.

Sam's brief life of inhuman cruelty ended on December 10 after an appalling catalogue of injuries. But today, 15 months later, Sam has yet to be laid to rest, his body ordered to remain in the mortuary until after the court case.

When Sam died he was left for almost three weeks wrapped in a dirty white duvet in his cot. He will be buried in Newhaven with a little white knitted teddy bear with his name embroidered on it, made by his grandmother Brenda Kingshott.

Sam died following a vicious punch to his stomach by Aaron Goodman, a jobless, crack-cocaine addict.

On Wednesday Goodman was jailed for life for his murder. Sam's mother Emma Back, from Park Road, Bexhill was found guilty of wilful neglect. A judge told her: "Make no mistake, you will go to prison for a significant period."

The tragic story of Sam's death has shocked friends, neighbours and relatives of the family, who lived in a squalid flat in St Leonards.

As the couple, both loved and well-brought up children, descended into drug-induced oblivion, Sam's grandparents despaired of the life in which the toddler was raised.

They were told Sam had died of cot death, but weeks later, concerned about funeral arrangements and unable to get an answer at the flat, Goodman's parents Allen and Paula alerted the police.

They found Goodman and Back weeping on a threadbare mattress, Sam's body in his cot.

"You left him to rot alone in a room for 18 days," Judge Mrs Justice Rafferty told Goodman Back on Wednesday. "Please God he died instantly."

The court heard Goodman, 27, prevented Back, 22, alerting police warning her "If you do we'll get 30 years".

Instead they went on a massive drugs binge. It was just before Sam's second birthday.

Days earlier, Goodman asked his parents for 800 for a drug debt.

The couple eventually paid but vowed to have nothing more to do with their son.

In court, Mr Goodman broke down when he said drugs ruined his son's life.

Lewes Crown Court heard a number of injuries were seen by witnesses in the months leading up to Sam's death. They included red marks, bruising on his back, stomach, knee and forehead and what appeared to be a cigarette burn on his foot.

Back told Lewes Crown Court on the morning Sam died she had tried to go and wake him to get him breakfast but Goodman prevented her, claiming he had already fed him and put him back to bed.

She said he subsequently came in and said he had found the boy dead in his cot. Back said: "There was a weird screeching noise. Aaron came in. He had both hands on his head. He said 'I'm sorry'.

"He said at some point that Sam was dead. I just broke down. I tried to get past Aaron and see him and I remember Aaron saying 'No, I will go and get him'.

She said she "stupidly agreed" not to tell relatives the truth, leading them to believe Sam had been a cot death victim and his body had been taken to hospital by ambulance.

Goodman told a jury he treated the toddler "like a son" and when he found him "freezing cold" in his cot he frantically tried to resuscitate him using CPR.

He said: "I was frantic at the time because I couldn't wake him. I didn't want to tell his mother her son was dead.

"I didn't call an ambulance because he was dead."

But forensic experts said his explanation, although theoretically possible, was nonsense. Goodman, who admitted conspiracy to prevent a lawful burial, for which he received a six month sentence, was convicted of murder after the 12-day trial. Back was found guilty of child cruelty and conspiracy to prevent a burial, having denied both charges. She was remanded in custody for reports to await sentence on April 15.