February 2017

‘She’s a pure evil psychopath’: The Accused viewers blast a mother found GUILTY of cruelty against her seven-week-old baby

Viewers were left horrified after a mother accused of child cruelty was found guilty, in a groundbreaking programme – the first of its kind on UK TV.

Kenzey, 23, allowed Channel 5 cameras to follow her as she prepared for her trial and the jury’s verdict after she was charged with two serious offences for failing to protect her seven-week-old daughter. 

The former charity worker was arrested in November 2014, after her baby was found with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and severe eye damage.

Kenzey had left her child with her boyfriend Kyle who she knew could be violent. She also failed to call an ambulance urgently when she could see her daughter was in pain and distressed. 

Viewers watched as Kenzey spent months defending her innocence and that of  Kyle, the father of her baby – before they were both convicted.

They were appalled that Kenzey showed more concern for her boyfriend than her daughter who has been left brain damaged and branded the pair ‘evil’. They blasted their sentences as lenient.

Kyle had a history of violence and had previously received a police caution for attacking Kenzey – just weeks after she gave birth to their daughter (who cannot be named for legal reasons) because he was jealous of the attention the baby was being given. 

In dramatic scenes aired on Monday night Kenzey was convicted and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison – while her boyfriend Kyle was jailed for 18.

Before the verdict, Kenzey protested: ‘That does not make me an abusive person, ’cause I’m not. If they think that, then they think we’re monsters.’

Filmmaker Rob McCabe said he wanted to expose what goes through the minds of those who have committed serious crimes.  

Viewers were invited to form their own judgement before the verdicts were read out, while Kenzey was questioned by her legal team.

Kenzey was eventually found guilty of child cruelty, for not calling the emergency services quickly enough once it was clear the baby was unwell. 

Meanwhile Kyle was found guilty of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, with a sentence of 18 years. 

Kenzey had denied seeing her boyfriend Kyle shake their baby daughter and stuck by him throughout, even after he was charged.

It was her unwavering belief that contributed to her conviction, according to her lawyer Ronnie Manek. 

‘Kyle professed his innocence saying “it wasn’t me” and I think she believed her boyfriend and didn’t want to be seen to attack his character,’ Ronnie explained following the verdicts. 

‘And her misguided loyalty to him is what caused her to be convicted.

Kenzey was so adamant of her innocence that she claimed: ‘I don’t feel like a human being. 

Chillingly, just four weeks before the pair were arrested Kyle sent a text message to Kenzey in which he confessed his daughter was not safe in his care. 

He wrote: ‘She isn’t safe with me and doesn’t deserve to be in danger from someone as terrible as me.’

Kenzey said: ‘I know you don’t want to hurt our baby or lose her so changes need to be made before its too late and something even more serious happens.’ 

Despite these red flags Kenzey still left their daughter in her boyfriend’s care on the night she was attacked. She told her lawyers she had been in the kitchen with the door closed.

She admitted she heard a ‘sound’ that sounded like crying but brushed off her doubts once Kyle told her everything was fine.

It was only later when her daughter appeared to be struggling to cry that Kenzey phoned NHS 111 for advice. It was the operator who sent an ambulance to the family home.

The infant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and severe damage to her eye, injuries which medical experts said were caused deliberately. 

The following day Kyle and Kenzey, whose surnames cannot be published for legal reasons, were arrested.