Killer mum who shook baby daughter to death while trying to adopt her is jailed for life
A KILLER mum who shook her baby daughter to death while in the process of adopting her has been jailed for life.
Katie Tidmarsh, 39, left Ruby Thompson with catastrophic brain damage following the savage attack.
The one-year-old died in hospital two days later from a blunt force impact to the back of the head.
Ruby also had two different fractures on her arms as her injuries were likened to those seen in a car crash.
Tidmarsh has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years after being convicted of murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Leicester Crown Court heard how Ruby had been placed in foster care shortly after her birth in July 2011.
In March the following year, Tidmarsh and her partner began the process of adopting the youngster.
On August 11, 2012, the mum made a 999 call saying Ruby was not breathing and had suffered a seizure.
After the tot was rushed to hospital, medics found she had a broken bone in her arm she’d suffered around two weeks before.
At the time, Tidmarsh blamed one of her dogs for the injury.
She also claimed the youngster’s eyes had rolled back and she fell on to a thick rug she was sitting on.
Tragically, Ruby couldn’t be saved and died two days later from “severe traumatic injuries”.
The grim catalogue included a large, star-shaped fracture on the back of her skull, bleeding in her brain and in her spinal canal.
Medical experts proved the injuries were caused by shaking and a high-energy impact.
Tidmarsh was arrested in 2012 but faced no further action until five years later.
In 2017, a judge had ruled she inflicted the injuries which resulted in Ruby’s collapse and death.
The killer mum was then charged with murder in 2022 after a joint effort by police, the CPS and medics.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Sinski said: “It has taken over 10 years to get this case to court and reach a successful guilty verdict.
“We never lost hope in seeking justice for Ruby.
“The evidence presented to the court, evidence from some of the top medical experts in their respective fields, proved that Ruby’s head injury was caused by shaking and a high-energy impact and not from a low fall on to a thick rug as Tidmarsh had claimed.
“Tidmarsh has evaded justice since 2012 and will now be facing a lengthy sentence for her actions.
“This has clearly been a very sad and tragic case and on reaching this verdict, I hope that Ruby can finally rest in peace.”