Parents who caused the death of their severely underweight five-month-old daughter jailed

A mother and father have been jailed after leaving their severely underweight daughter with broken bones and exposing her to cannabis.

Ava Mae Collard was found to have 28 rib fractures and fractures to both clavicles, two fractures to her femur, a cauliflower ear, and bruises on her scalp, face, legs and arms after she died on March 1 2020, Stafford Crown Court heard. Her parents, Joshua Collard and Rebecca Grocott, said they were unaware of how she suffered the injuries and later denied harming her.

However, they were found guilty after a five-week trial. At Stafford Crown Court on Thursday, Collard, 30, who was described by the judge as a “violent, ill-tempered misogynist” was jailed for 11 years, and Grocott, 27, was given an eight-year sentence.

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Toxicology reports showed Ava Mae was exposed to cannabis while the court heard how Collard grew his own cannabis and had returned to the family home to remove the plants and associated equipment while his daughter was in critical care at the hospital. Judge Mr Justice Cotter KC remarked how he had seen “no evidence of any remorse” from Collard for what had happened, but accepted that Grocott was remorseful.

He also highlighted how Ava Mae suffered “pain and misery throughout her short life”. The trial heard that paramedics were called to the family home in Stone on February 27 2020, and they then called police to report that Ava Mae was in cardiac arrest.

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Despite the best efforts of paramedics, the baby later died in hospital. Following an investigation into her death and a post-mortem examination,