Mum and friend face jail over young boy locked in cupboard while family went to Blackpool

The boy’s mother, 40, and her female friend, 29, were convicted of two charges of cruelty to a person under 16

The younger woman was also found guilty of two charges of unlawful wounding against the boy.

The jury of six men and six women took two-and-a-half hours to return their verdict to Bradford Crown Court.

The women showed no emotion as the unanimous verdicts were given.

During the trial the court heard the boy was stripped naked and left in a cupboard with the door Sellotaped shut for more than ten hours, while his family went on a day trip to Blackpool.

A jury was also told that after he suffered a blow from a stiletto heel, the women used Superglue to stick the wound together instead of taking him to hospital.

Judge Peter Hunt said: “The offences of which you have now been convicted show very serious ill treatment of a young, defenceless boy.

“Only immediate prison sentences are appropriate in respect of both of you.”

The judge said he wanted time to reflect on the length of the jail sentence that he would be handing down.

The defendants, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, have been remanded in custody until Friday when they will be sentenced.

Judge Hunt thanked the jury members for their attention during “this unpleasant case.”

The boy and his two sisters now live at their grandparents’ house.

As the judge addressed the defendants today, the boy’s aunt wiped a tear from her face with a tissue in the packed public gallery.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to child cruelty and neglect against the child between August 2012 and April 2014.