Pair Jailed Over Baby Death

A 27-year-old man and 20-year-old woman have been jailed for the death of a baby in their care that they claimed was possessed and injured by ghosts.

Fourteen-month old Santino Balaz died on New Year's Day this year, after suffering a catalogue of extensive injuries and neglect.

Santino, had been under the care of his half-sister, Tereza Lackova, aged 20 and her partner Marek Holub, aged 27, both Czech nationals and living with them in Brighton Road at the time of his death.

Holub was jailed for life to serve a minimum sentence of 20 years after pleading guilty to murder, child neglect and child cruelty. Lackova was jailed for five years after admitting allowing the death of a child and child neglect at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday, 20 October.

Santino, was born in Bilina, Czech Republic and brought over to England by his mother in June 2014, together with his other half-sister. They lived at her other daughter, Tereza Lackova's flat in Brighton Road.

In September 2014, Santino's mother returned to the Czech Republic, leaving Santino with his sisters. In November, his other sister also left, leaving him with Lackova and Holub.

On the afternoon of January 1, police were called to the address by ambulance colleagues, who had responded to a call about a baby not breathing.

Santino was rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but despite attempts to resuscitate him, the child was pronounced dead a short time later.

Staff noticed the child had a number of visible injuries, including bruises to his face, chest, legs and arms.

A post mortem showed he had suffered numerous injuries and trauma for weeks before he died.

Police arrested Lackova and Holub and following enquires charged them with Santino's murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

The pair claimed Santino's injuries had been caused by ghosts or spirits haunting him in their flat.

Detective Inspector Justin Spanner, from the force's Homicide team, said: "Santino was supposed to be in a safe environment and in the care of his own family − his sister and her boyfriend.

"The evidence tells us that Santino was assaulted on at least three occasions between November and New Year's Day; these assaults ultimately led to his death.

"The couple claimed that either the spirit of Lackova's grandmother who had died a short time ago or the death of the woman who occupied their flat before them had come back to injure Santino.

"We know from our enquiries that the pair had shared photos of Santino's injuries on their Facebook accounts and claimed the ghosts had caused them; unfortunately no-one ever came forward to report concerns around these images.

"I would like this case to serve as a reminder to people that if they have concerns over a child's welfare please report it to police so we can put the necessary checks in place to make sure they are safe.

"The death of one so young is always tragic but the agony that this young boy must have endured over his short life is truly dreadful, we can only take comfort in the fact that Tereza Lackova and Marek Holub are behind bars for a significant period."

(MH/CD)