https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9253273/Boy-four-bruised-medics-thought-LEUKEMIA-police-two-year-old-CAGE.htmlCouple are convicted of neglect after boy, four, who fled house of horrors was so bruised medics thought he had LEUKAEMIA leading to police find boy, two, in CAGE as court hears woman tried to sell child for £1million on street
Claire Boyle, 34, kept two-year-old boy in wooden cot with fixture across the top
Another child, aged four, broke free from the flat through a crack in the window
He was found on a street in Ayrshire with numerous bruises and taken to hospital
Boyle and partner, Timothy Johnstone, found guilty of neglect on Wednesday
By Katie Weston For Mailonline
Published: 11:37, 12 February 2021 | Updated: 15:38, 12 February 2021
Police launched an investigation following a report from the member of the public who found the four-year-old boy in the street. The two-year-old was discovered in the adjusted cot by police who then attended the property, reports the Daily Record. Dr Christine Findlay, an NHS consultant paediatrician, told the court there were 'fingertip bruises' on the older child and dried blood around his ears. She added that the boy had many bruises, leading doctors to question whether he had a blood disorder such as hemophilia or leukaemia. It was also heard that the four-year-old seemed very hungry when he was found, eating two sandwiches alongside minced beef and potato, three more sandwiches and an apple during his time at the hospital. Referring to the two-year-old, police constable Adam Peppard told the court that he was found 'upset' with his 'nappy full and hanging low'. He said: '[The toddler] was within the makeshift cot the bottom of the cot had been removed and strapped to the top to stop the child getting out.'
Dr Findlay also said the older boy had 'crusted' blood around his ears, which suggested 'a blow to the ear', adding: 'This is a child who has lots of signs of injuries.'
An officer described how Boyle claimed that the cage was for the younger boy's own safety. She said it was his fault because he could open the window and go outside, leading her to place objects in front of the window and put the frame over the top of the cot. A court heard in 2015 that Boyle tried to sell a child for £1million, starting bidding at £2000, outside a bank on Ayr High Street. It was mentioned that she shouted at the child and shook him before leaving him unattended in a pram. Both Boyle and Johnstone were convicted by Sheriff Higgins of neglecting the older boy, and Boyle was also found guilty of neglecting the two-year-old. Ed Sheeran, prosecuting, earlier withdrew a charge that the pair assaulted the four-year-old. When asked about her previous convictions by journalists outside court, she said: 'Shut your mouth. Get tae f***.'
