A teenage stepmother jailed for the manslaughter of a two-year-old girl has won the right to have her prison sentence reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Jessica Lee Rose Mulford, who was sentenced to five years and seven months after being convicted over the death of Harlee-Rose Niven, was found to have inflicted catastrophic abdominal injuries that split the toddler’s pancreas and caused fatal internal damage.
The High Court ruled the injuries were consistent with extreme violence, while also convicting Mulford of injuring with intent after she strangled the child months earlier.
After the Court of Appeal rejected arguments that her sentence should be reduced due to her youth, mental health and background, Mulford’s lawyers took the case to the Supreme Court, which has now granted leave to appeal on whether the Court of Appeal was correct to dismiss her challenge. The appeal will be heard at a later date, reopening scrutiny of a case involving what judges described as severe violence against a defenceless child.
