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R v Elaine Clarke

Judgment Cited in Precedent Map Related
Vincent
JurisdictionEngland & Wales
Judgment Date24 February 2022
Subject MatterCriminal
CourtCrown Court
REGINA
-v-
ELAINE CLARKE
Preston Crown Court
24 February 2022
Sentencing Remarks of Mrs Justice Yip DBE
1. Elaine Clarke, you are to be sentenced for the manslaughter of your daughter Debbie
Leitch, who died at your home in August 2019. You pleaded guilty to that offence in
December 2021.
2. Debbie was 24 years old when she died. She had Down’s Syndrome and some
associated medical problems. As such, she was vulnerable and remained dependent on
you, her mother. You were her registered carer and received payments for her care.
You have three other children. All of them have learning or physical difficulties. Social
services had concerns about your parenting and the children were on the Child
Protection Register when they were younger. You moved to Leeds in 2014 and then to
Blackpool in 2016.
3. A statement from Sammy Muggeridge, one of Debbie’s cousins, which was read today,
paints a picture of a happy and loving girl. When living in Leeds, she attended day care
and was provided with a range of activities. She went to college, made friends and had
a boyfriend. She was described by a support worker as shy, but outgoing with people
she got to know, and cheeky. She was a little overweight but generally healthy.
Photographs from that time show her with a beaming smile. Her cousin describes her
as innocent. She loved horses and enjoyed brushing her long hair. She is said to have
idolised you. Debbie’s death, and the manner of it, has caused great distress to her

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