Couple jailed after lying about how toddler suffered significant head injuries at Wymington home

Steven Buckley and Hayley Best. Picture: Bedfordshire Police

A couple have been jailed for lying to the police about how a child in their care was left with head injuries including a fractured skull and bleed on the brain.

Police were alerted in September 2020 after the ambulance service was called to an incident involving a child who had suffered head injuries.

Hayley Best, 37 and Steven Buckley, 32, spoke with officers, stating that the one-year-old child had been injured after falling from a chair onto the hard kitchen floor in Best’s home in Wymington. But neither had witnessed it happen.

The pair did not get medical help straight away and claimed the child appeared to have had no adverse reaction to the fall and hadn’t lost consciousness.

Best messaged a friend telling her that the child had been vomiting and asking for help. When her friend arrived at the house, she told Best to call an ambulance as the child looked pale and lifeless, despite Best insisting they were fine.

Best’s friend called an ambulance, and the child was taken to hospital where they were placed in intensive care. The toddler had a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain and unexplained bruising.

Medical experts were concerned that Best and Buckley’s story did not account for the level of injuries sustained, which were deemed to be non-accidental.

Best and Buckley were arrested and after a four-week trial at Luton Crown Court, they were found guilty of causing or allowing serious harm to a child.

Hayley Best, of Headingley Road, Rushden was sentenced to five and a half years, whilst Steven Buckley, of Priory Road, Wellingborough, was sentenced to seven years, with an extended licence period of a further three years.

Detective Constable Charlie Sermons said: “This was a particularly upsetting and complex case, as it involved a young child who sustained serious injuries.

“Both Best and Buckley remained consistent in their version of events, blaming an unwitnessed fall that had been ruled out by medical experts, but neither could offer any further explanation as the cause of such significant injuries.

“There was also a significant delay in seeking medical attention as they attempted to try and cover up what had happened.

“Protecting children from harm is everyone’s responsibility, which is why it is important for anyone with concerns that a child is being neglected, exploited or abused, to report it. We must all play our part in protecting children.”