Police have released footage from interviews officers carried out with the parents of four-month-old baby Dallas Kelly who was murdered.
His father, Reece Kelly, 31, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a trial found him guilty of murder and two counts of child cruelty. He must serve a minimum of 18 years.
In October 2021, Kelly rang an ambulance saying the couple’s son Dallas wasn’t breathing.
Paramedics attended and baby Dallas was taken to hospital but couldn’t be saved.
Kelly denied any involvement in his son’s death throughout the investigation and up to the first day of trial, when he admitted he had shaken Dallas, but claimed he hadn’t meant to cause him serious injury or death.
A trial was held at Carlisle Crown Court after Reece Kelly and Georgia Wright, of Hunday Court, Workington, denied any involvement.
On the first day of the trial, Reece Kelly admitted manslaughter.
The court heard how detectives found evidence of both parents acting in a cruel and neglectful manner towards Dallas.
vidence found that the pair had failed to take Dallas to medical appointments, failed to provide adequate parental supervision and exposed him to harmful substances.
The court also heard how the pair prioritised their own drug-taking ahead of him.
“Any child, particularly one as young as Dallas, should have parents who care deeply for them and act in their child’s best interest at all times. Sadly, this was not the case for Dallas.
“There is never any excuse or reason to cause harm or distress to a child and I am pleased that both Reece Kelly and Georgia Wright have been held accountable for their actions.
