The stepmother and father of a six-year-old girl who was punched so hard that her digestive system collapsed were convicted of manslaughter and wilful neglect yesterday.
Tracey (31) and Craig Wright (38) insisted they loved and cared for Lauren Wright and that more than 60 bruises found on her body when she died in May last year were caused by a combination of clumsiness and bullying in the school playground.
But instead of the loving family environment the couple claimed they provided, the jury at Norwich Crown Court was told that Lauren suffered sustained physical and mental torture. Her stepmother punched her and forced her to eat sandwiches filled with pepper while her father "turned a blind eye".
The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts and the couple will be sentenced at a later date.
Meanwhile, the case has again raised questions about the role of social services in relation to vulnerable children. Calling for a public inquiry, a former education secretary, Ms Gillian Shephard, described the case as "a public disgrace".
An inquiry carried out by the Norfolk Area Child Protection Committee condemned staff from Norfolk Council's social services for failing to act with "due urgency" and for missing opportunities to monitor Lauren's health and living conditions.
Lauren Wright weighed little more than two stones in the final months of her life and clumps of her hair were falling out. She was barely recognisable from the bubbly girl who had moved into Tracey Wright's home in Welney, Norfolk with her father shortly before the two married in 1998.
Although social workers, teachers and neighbours were concerned about her injuries, Lauren was not taken into protective care.
It was supposed to be a new start for the girl, who had already suffered during her short life - her natural mother abandoned her during a holiday in Turkey. But over several months Lauren was physically and mentally abused by Tracey Wright. In a graphic account of life in the Norfolk house, Tracey Wright's nine-year-old son told the court that he had seen "Mummy punch her in the belly two times" and that Wright had put "bugs" into Lauren's food. She was also forced to stand for several hours fully-clothed in front of a fire.
Norfolk Social Services became involved with the family last March when a neighbour raised concerns about Lauren's health. A social worker visited the home but accepted the couple's explanation that the child's injuries were accidental.