Please note: this article contains topics of child abuse and infanticide that may be disturbing to some readers.
Liam Deane, then 22, was discovered dead in his cell in 2017 after being sentenced to prison for striking his 2-day-old baby girl to death. It was later found that he was killed by his fellow inmate John Westland, who was serving a term for rape, serious bodily injury, and cruelty.
Westland was caught and sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in jail. Almost a week before the murders, the two guys started sharing a single cell in the vulnerable prison wing. All cell sharing risk evaluations were completed satisfactorily, but nothing was discovered.
On November 19, 2017, the emergency cell bell was rung from Westland and Deane’s cell, and an Operational Support Grade responded shortly (OSG). When they arrived, Westland claimed them that Deane had self-harmed but was quickly detained on suspicion of murder. Westland originally told the authorities that he wished to admit to his crime, but when questioned, he continually said, “no remarks.”
Westland informed the jury at his trial that he thought Liam Deane was a sex offender, which was false. It’s a sad side effect of prison life that people who are accused of significant misdeeds, like one, will choose another inmate to look down on. Given the nature of one’s guilt, some may regard it as blatant hypocrisy, Judge Jameson observed during his trial.
The offender murdered his cellmate with a broken bottle of cologne, and the deceased displayed symptoms of asphyxiation produced by pressure on his head and face, according to the evidence. Glass shards with fingerprints matching Westland’s were discovered on a chair near the bunk bed. Westland told the jury that Deane was frequently referred to as a “baby murderer” around the jail and was subjected to daily threats and insults.
Westland was first imprisoned in 2008 after admitting to raping and abusing a lady in her fifties he met at a bar, according to the BBC. Liam Deane received a jail sentence after punching his 2-day-old baby in the face so hard that she died.
Karen Bissett, the kid’s mom, was 21 years old and had left the infant at home with her dad. Liam Deane, 22, shook the girl violently, striking her on the face and squeezing her body and arms. Despite recognizing the youngster was in excruciating agony and struggling from wounds, Liam did nothing. When he recognized the girl needed medical assistance the next day, he contacted her mom and deceived her, stating she fell out of bed while asleep.
The two-day-old baby was transported to Leeds General Infirmary, where she died. The Doctor determined that the cause of death was head trauma, which resulted in “catastrophic brain damage.” Deane quickly admitted guilt and broke down when questioned by the authorities. In October 2017, the then-22-year-old father was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of ten years.
Even though Deane’s act of murdering his baby daughter was a terrible crime that destroyed her family apart, we think that he was entitled to his right to serve his sentence in jail, stated West Yorkshire Police.
