Updated: Workington's Reece Kelly convicted of baby murder and cruelty

The verdicts on 31-year-old Reece Kelly and Georgia Wright, 23, were delivered at Carlisle Crown Court within the last few minutes, three hours and nine minutes after the jury retired to consider their decisions following two weeks of evidence.

Both defendants were found guilty of child cruelty – by exposing their son to illicit drugs in their Workington home and by failing to take their son to medical appointments.

The judge in the case, Mr Justice Dove, thanked jurors for their work.

He adjourned the case until 2pm, though he has pointed out that sentence will not be passed today.

As the guilty verdict on the murder charge was announced, Kelly – standing in the dock with his hands folded before him – closed his eyes and shook his head.

As Wright was cleared of allowing or causing the death of her son, she sobbed, touching her chest and looking at the ceiling.

Throughout the trial, the jury heard harrowing medical evidence of the injuries sustained by four-month-old Dallas Kelly, which included multiple bleeds to his brain and spine, as well as six rib fractures, one of them weeks old.

Tell-tale “fingertip” bruises were found on his torso.

One medical expert told the jury that the severity of the injuries sustained by Dallas were of the kind normally sustained by people involved in multi-storey falls, car crashes, or head crushing accidents.

A number of forensic medical experts concluded that the child’s injuries were consistent  with him having been “shaken forcefully.”  Kelly had admitted manslaughter, claiming he shook his son “gently” and for only a few seconds.

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One expert, however, said it was “inconceivable” that the actions he admitted would have caused Dallas’s injuries, which included multiple retinal detachments.

The tragedy happened in October, 2021. Reece Kelly, who grew up in Whitehaven but was recently living in Workington, dialled 999 on October 15 that year, asking for an ambulance because his son had stopped breathing.

The baby died in a Newcastle hospital four days later after medics, unable to help Dallas further because of the catastrophic nature of his injuries, switched off his life-support machine.

Kelly has been remanded in custody.

Wright described Kelly as a "monster" after he admitted causing his son's injuries as the trial began, telling the court she would never have left her son alone with him had she believed he could harm their son.

The defendants will be put back before the court on Monday, November 20 whey Mr Justice Dove will pass sentence. He remanded Kelly in custody but granted Wright bail, conditional on her cooperating with the Probation Service over a pre-sentence report and her remaining at her current north Cumbrian address.

"All options, in  terms of  sentencing, will be open," he warned her.

As he concluded the case, Mr Justice Dove thanked the legal advocates for their "splendid and clear assistance" in what  was an extremely sensitive trial. He had earlier also thanked the jurors who were "judges of the facts" in the case.

Following the convictions this afternoon, Victoria Agulló, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Dallas’s life was tragically cut short by his father, who should have loved and cared for him.

"Throughout the police investigation and up until the first day of the trial Reece Kelly denied that he had caused any injuries to baby Dallas.

"Even after admitting manslaughter, he claimed that he had no intention to cause him serious harm, however the evidence the jury heard throughout the trial convinced them otherwise.

“Everyone who has been involved in this case has been deeply moved by the tragic circumstances of Dallas’s death.”