Sinister Foster mum who battered toddler to death gets jailed for life

The suspect identified as, Kandyce Downer , 35, from Birmingham, was reportedly jailed, yesterday, May 4, 2016 for the murder » of 18-month-old, Keegan Downer , who had died at the family home on September 5, 2015, barely months after Downer had become her legal guardian. Little Keegan had reportedly been beaten repeatedly and had suffered over 200 injuries, including seven broken ribs, broken legs and severe head and spine injuries, leaving about 153 scars on her little body, including her face and neck. During the sentencing of which the Judge at the Birmingham Crown Court had revealed that she would serve at least 18 years behind bars for the death of the toddler, more disturbing details of the girl's catalogue of injuries had been revealed for the first time in a series of x-rays and scans. The jurors who sat in on the trial had been told that Keegan's bones had been subjected to the sort of force usually experienced in a car crash, while prosecutor, Nigel Power QC, had reportedly revealed that the toddler would have been 'crying and possibly screaming', making it 'inconceivable' that someone looking after her could have been unaware of the injuris. Keegan's left thigh bone had been fractured several times, and most recently in the weeks just before she died, as well as suffering a traumatic head or spine injury, which had been at least several days old by the time of her death. Post-mortem examination also revealed that the toddler had died from a combination of old head injuries, septicaemia, a bacterial infection, and blunt chest trauma. Downer had reportedly denied all the charges which included murder and causing or allowing the death of a child when she had gone on trial last month, going as far as to attempt to blame the injuries on her teenage son. Thankfully she had been found unanimously guilty on both counts after almost three hours of deliberations by a jury yesterday afternoon. According to the reports, Downer had been appointed Keegan's legal guardian in January 2015 but the systematic abuse of the toddler had begun in June 2015, six months after Keegan had been placed under her care. Downer, a full-time business student with four other children of her own, had reportedly denied killing the toddler, but had admitted to leaving Keegan alone in her bedroom while she had taken her biological daughter out on the day the toddler had died. Keegan reportedly been found unconscious after she had suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital but had been pronounced dead on arrival. Forensic scientists are reported to have found over 80 blood spatters on the walls by her cot with 30 in the cot and more on the doors of a cupboard under the stairs.