Pair found guilty over death of toddler tied to 'cage' bed

Sheets and bedding placed over sides of cot to prevent 19-month-old Ellie-May Minshull Coyle seeing outside

Ellie-May Minshull Coyle was tied to her "cage" bed at her home in Preston, Lancashire (Lancashire Police)

A teenage mother has been convicted of causing or allowing the death of her 19-month-old daughter by tying her to a Frozen-themed bed converted into a “cage”.

Lauren Coyle, 19, and ex-partner Reece Hitchcott, 20, restrained Ellie-May Minshull Coyle face down on the mattress to try and make her sleep through the night.

The toddler’s bed had been enclosed by binding the sides of a cot to the frame and covering them with sheets and bedding.

Ellie-May's lifeless body was found at the couple’s home in Preston, Lancashire, on the morning of 23 March last year.

Both Coyle and Hitchcott were cleared of manslaughter on Friday but the jury at Liverpool Crown Court found them guilty of the lesser offence of causing or allowing her death.

They were also convicted of two counts of child cruelty by “caging” the child and restraining her in the bed.

Their lodger, Connor Kirby, 20, of Octavia Court, Huyton, Liverpool, was cleared of all charges.

Ellie May’s father, John Minshull, said: “Ellie May was a wonderful little girl, she was so special to everyone around her. She was always happy and the best daughter anyone could ask for.

“The fact that she was taken away from us broke our hearts because she was loved and she will be missed deeply. She is always in our minds every single day.”

Coyle told the court that Ellie-May was her “world” and claimed the bed had been converted by Hitchcott to get the toddler into a routine of sleeping through the night.

It was pushed against the wall of the two-bedroom flat in Ward Street, Lostock Hall, and the open sides were enclosed by the slatted sides of a cot lashed together with ligatures and electrical flex.

Sheets and bedding were placed over the sides to prevent her seeing outside and the window was covered by a mattress and a sheet.

No lights were working inside the bedroom.

Jurors heard Coyle sent a Snapchat message to a friend hours before before the child’s death to say: “This child is pissing me of [sic] tonight.”

At around 6am on 23 March last year, she messaged her father, Sean Coyle, to say her daughter was still crying, adding: “She’s taking the Mick now.”

When Mr Coyle arrived at the flat at 9am, he went to the toddler’s bedroom and realised there was a “terrible problem”, the court heard.

A post-mortem examination concluded the girl’s death was caused by “forcible restraint by ligatures in a face down position complicated by hypothermia”.

She had marks on her wrists and ankles, suggesting she had been tied to the “cage”, the jury heard. A duvet had been placed over her meaning that she was unable to properly regulate her body temperature.

Prosecutor Christopher Tehrani QC told jurors: “By being restrained in her bed in a face-down position, Ellie-May’s breathing would have become compromised.

“She would not have been able to move off her front due to being restrained to allow her to resume breathing properly.”

Coyle, of Collins Road, Bamber Bridge, Preston, and Hitchcott, of The Fieldings, Fulwood, Preston, will be sentenced on 16 November.

Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This case has been the most distressing that myself and the team have ever had to deal with. To think of the suffering that this little girl was put through by those people that should have loved, cared for and protected her is heartbreaking. This was an entirely unnecessary, pointless and avoidable death of a child.”

The judge, Mr Justice Dove, granted the pair bail but warned: “That is no indication whatsoever as to what the likely sentence might be.”

Brett Gerrity, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This is a tragic case in which a young and innocent child was treated in the worst possible way by those who should have kept her safe from harm.

“During the trial the prosecution proved that, by restraining Ellie-May in her bed, or knowing that she had been restrained in such a way, Lauren Coyle and Reece Hitchcott wilfully contributed to or directly caused her untimely death.

“Throughout the case the defendants denied responsibility for causing her death and blamed each other, but today the jury have found the child’s mother and her partner guilty of causing her death and neglecting her.

“I would like to express my sympathy to Ellie-May’s family and loved ones.”

Additional reporting by Press Association