THE biological mother of murdered Leiland-James Corkill says her 'beautiful blue-eyed baby boy' was taken away from her by a 'monster'.

The mother of the child wrote a letter to the judge ahead of the sentencing of Laura Castle.

Castle, who was planning to adopt the Leiland-James, was jailed for at least 18 years for his murder today.

The child, who was originally from Whitehaven, was taken into care after birth.

In the heartbreaking letter, his mum paid tribute to her son, calling him the 'light in the darkness of the pain of my life'.

She said: "Leiland-James liked kisses and snuggles and always fell asleep in my arms.

"My son, Leiland-James Corkill, was a happy wee boy, he always had a bright beaming smile, a smile that would brighten days, even on my worst days he is my sunshine.

"My son, Leiland-James, visits in my dreams, he will always be by my side, safe forever now within my heart."

 She described his killer Laura Castle as a 'monster that scared and broke my baby boy’s body and mind'.

Read the letter in full below.

To The Judge,

Leiland-James Corkill Is my darling son, my beautiful blue eyed baby boy! He was my reason to live once again. Leiland-James as is with all my children are my light in the darkness of the pain of my life. My baby boy, Leiland-James was to be coming home! A home filled with love. I made sure that he would have all that he needed, his nursery was decorated, clothes folded in his drawers and his pram stood in the hall with love and within a safe home. I had done everything that I Could, all I was asked, meeting all expectations, passing assessments. I had come a long way with my recovery from a history of being a victim of domestic violence and throughout my pregnancy all looked promising as our bond grew stronger, Leiland-James was coming home!

But sadly, Forces worked against us and Leiland-James was taken and placed firstly with his loving foster mother Charlotte, I continued to have frequent contact then when Leiland-James was 7 months old, he was placed in the home of a monster, a monster that was meant to love, nurture and cherish him as I would have done. A monster that robbed Leiland-James at only 12 months old of his life, robbed me, his brother, sisters and my family of one day opening the door to the wonderful young man that I know he would have become. People say I am brave, I am not! I just exist to get justice for my son Leiland-James and for all my children. Leiland-James was ripped from my loving arms, but I was always his mammy. I carried him with in my body for 9 months with every beat of my heart full of love, full of pride, full of promise. My beautiful blue eyed baby, love saw his first breath, evil took his last breath here on earth, Mammy was not ready to say goodbye, I will never be ready to say goodbye.

I carry Leiland-James forever in my heart, I hear his cheeky laughter in the wind that blows, see his beautiful smile in my memories engrained within my sole, his photos on every wall. I have foot prints and handprints and a memory box but all I want is to hold him, Leiland-James liked kisses and snuggles and always fell asleep in my arms. My son, Leiland-James Corkill was a happy wee boy, he always had a bright beaming smile, a smile that would brighten days, even on my worst days he is my sunshine. My Son, Leiland-James visits in my dreams, he will always be by my side, safe forever now within my heart. No sentence will ever be enough, for the pain, trauma and brutality that was inflicted on his tiny baby body and mind. I understand that you as a judge will make judgment, I understand that you are governed by what sentence you can put forward, nothing will ever bring back my baby, nothing will ever reduce or take away that pain. The monster that scared and broke my baby boy’s body and mind will never have forgiveness this is something that she will carry for the rest of her days. The Monster has said that she wants “her boy to have justice”, he was not and never will be your baby boy you lost that right the first second it went through your head to hurt him. He was a precious baby, vulnerable and innocent, he had no voice, he could not defend himself. The names you called him and the hurt you caused him, the fact that you blamed him for your disgusting behaviour and treatment of him, Leiland-James was a baby! A tiny baby! Shame! shame! on you, you are not a mother, you are a monster. I had asked the social worker if I could not have Leiland-James’s home with me that he be left with Charlotte his loving foster mother, as I felt this would be the best for him emotionally, this was refused! I wish to God that things were different, I longed for the day Leiland-James would come home to me, I love all my children and long for the day that they come home. I never expected to say goodbye, I never expected to bury my son and I never expected to be writing this letter to a judge in my son’s murder trial. Please give my precious son the justice that he so deserves. Please give the maximum you can give, to hopeful be a deterrent for others that think that they would hurt a precious child. I would say I would like the key to be thrown away and for the monster that hurt my child be left to rot in the hell that she inflicted on my child, but this is for a higher power that she will have to suffer for what she has done for eternity.

I don’t want the Castles or any of their family to have access to Leiland-James final resting place, they didn’t protect him in life they don’t deserve to sooth their conscience.

My heart is broken, my children have all been affected as they have lost their baby brother, a brother that they will not get to grow up with, or get to know. My family have lost a precious grandchild, nephew and cousin, through the coming years I will carry my darling son’s memory and I will fight all my life so that what has happened to Leiland- James will never be forgotten. I will love and miss my son Leiland-James every second of every day until I take my last breath and I will be with him again. Leiland-James was too precious for this world, this world was too cruel and truly didn’t deserve his precious smile.

I thank you