Grace Thorpe death: Adam Jackson jailed for two-year-old's murder

Grace Thorpe died in hospital on 11 November, 2020

A man who murdered a two-year-old girl he had been trusted to look after as she sat in her high chair has been jailed.

Grace Thorpe had been left with her mother's then-partner Adam Jackson at her home near Redcar, in November 2020.

At Teesside Crown Court Jackson, 27, admitted murder and was jailed for life with a minimum of 16-and-a-half years.

Judge Howard Crowson called it "a brutal, violent and painful assault" on Grace who had called Jackson "Daddy".

Grace had multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and leg, and had bruises across her body, and Jackson had hit her at least seven times.

Jackson was jailed for a minimum of 16-and-a-half years

Jackson did not immediately call 999, the court heard, but when he did he claimed the two-year-old had fallen from a faulty high chair.

However a pathologist concluded the injuries were inflicted deliberately.

Grace was found in a critical condition at her home in Dale Street, in New Marske, on 10 November and she was flown to a specialist children's unit in Newcastle, where she died the following day.

'Happiest little girl'

Speaking after sentencing, Alice Quine, Grace's mother, said "I lost everything in that moment."

"My Grace was the happiest little girl who never wanted for anything, she was always content and smiling, her laugh was infectious," she said in a statement.

"Grace loved and trusted Adam Jackson and he abused that in every way possible. I trusted him with my whole world and he took it away from me in a split second."

Grace's family described her as "kind, funny and sassy"

Ms Quine also spoke of the impact the two-year-old's death had had on Grace's sister, saying they had shared the "most amazing bond and love for each other".

"Every birthday will be celebrated, every anniversary we will remember, every Christmas an empty chair will always be at the table because we know she will be there with us," she added.

The prosecution said Jackson and Grace's mother had been in a relationship for a year before the murder, and she had gone to work on the day of the murder.

Family and friends had initially liked him, and he moved in with her after lockdown.

But, prosecutor Nick Dry said Jackson would become bad-tempered if he did not have money for cannabis, which he used every day.

Hair samples from Grace showed she had been exposed to cannabis and cocaine, the court heard, and Ms Quine had previously asked Jackson to leave the house before they got back together.

Flowers were left outside the two-year-old's home after her death

'Spontaneous eruption of violence'

Ms Quine read a victim statement to the court, and asked Jackson why he had not just handed over care of her daughter to someone else.

"Nothing justifies the horrible things you have done to my baby, an innocent two-year-old, who would have woken up happy to see you, and you inflicted a brutal attack on her for no reason," she said.

Peter Makepeace QC, defending, said Jackson, who had no previous convictions, did not intend to kill Grace, saying it had been a "spontaneous eruption of uncontrolled violence".

Senior investigating officer, temporary Det Ch Insp Peter Carr, said Jackson tried to conceal what had happened, "even offering Grace chocolate buttons to try to appease her".

"He continued to lie to Grace's family and to police to try to cover up what he had done," he added.

"Today's guilty plea spares Grace's family the pain of a lengthy trial but it does not take anything away from the fact that Adam Jackson caused the death of a young toddler who had her whole life ahead of her.

"Grace's family will live with that loss every day."