A mum who killed her two-month-old baby trying to silence her cries was today jailed for 13 years.

Remorseless Abigail Palmer crushed the chest of tiny Teri-Rae with such brutal force that she snapped the newborn tot’s ribs.

The 33-year-old cocaine user had ‘burned the candle at both ends’ when she lost her temper with her ‘completely defenceless’ nine-week-old baby, a court heard.

Abigail Palmer had inflicted injuries on Teri-Rae to stop her crying, Birmingham Crown Court heard (Picture: BPM Media)

Palmer, of Solihull, West Midlands, was jailed for 13-and-a-half years after being found guilty of manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court.


Passing sentence, Mrs Justice Lambert told how the mum crushed Teri-Rae’s ribcage in her hands, inflicting ten rib fractures which led to oxygen starvation.



And, while her baby lay critically injured, she made a flurry of phone calls trying to source drugs from her dealer.

The judge said: ‘What you did was appalling.

‘Only you know why you assaulted Teri-Rae in this way, but it does not require much imagination that you did so because she was crying and you were short-fused through a lack of sleep owing to your heavy-duty socialising over previous days.

Abigail Palmer crushed the chest of tiny Teri-Rae (Picture: JustGiving)

‘You tried to silence her by grabbing her so strongly that she was unable to get any air into her lungs.’

Teri-Rae died on January 2, 2017 – just nine weeks after being born.

Palmer had tested positive for cocaine during her pregnancy and was facing the threat of Teri-Rae being taken into care because of her substance misuse.

She vowed to be clean, but continued to take drugs and drink alcohol, Mrs Justice Lambert said.

Some of Teri-Rae’s ribs were found to have buckled. Others had snapped. The tot was said to have suffered ‘very serious distress’ as she struggled to breath.

Abigail Palmer, from Solihull, crushed two-month old Teri-Rae causing a total of 10 rib fractures (Picture: SWNS)

Jonas Hankin, prosecuting, said: ‘A clear picture emerged that the defendant was burning the candle at both ends and had not slept for 72 hours.

‘Not only was she not sleeping, but she was drinking and taking cocaine.

‘It’s those features that were likely the catalyst for her loss of temper with the child.’

The court was told that Palmer denied Teri-Rae medical attention for 15 minutes when she was found lifeless later in the day.

The judge said: ‘You declined to call for medical help and said you tried to revive her with your own version of CPR.

Concerns were raised over Palmer shortly into her pregnancy with Teri-Rae (Picture: JustGiving)

She added: ‘Your selfishness and selfish act led to the death of your daughter. This is something you will have to live with and endeavour to come to terms with.’

Concerns were raised over Palmer shortly into her pregnancy with Teri-Rae, the court heard.

Mr Hankin told how she had a history of substance abuse and flagged positive for cocaine during a screening at 15 weeks’ pregnant.

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Birmingham City Council wrote a letter before her discharge, telling her that care proceedings were being considered because of her boozing and drug-taking.



She failed to comply with conditions not to use illicit substances or drink alcohol and undergo random drugs tests.

The court was told that Palmer fractured the baby’s ribs on two earlier occasions.

Mr Hankin added: ‘The prosecution say it is an aggravating feature that the assault was carried out against a background of substance misuse in defiance of a child protection order designed to protect Teri-Rae.’

Palmer was handed a two-year concurrent sentence for wounding.

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