COURT SENTENCES SCOTS MOTHER AND LOVER TO FIVE YEARS FOR CHILD CRUELTY IN TRAGIC CASE

Fighting erupted outside a court yesterday after a Scots mother, Lorna Gray, 30, a civil servant of Sunnybraes Terrace, Dunfermline, and her lover James McEwan, 27, of Fallowfield, Manchester, were each sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to child cruelty. The charges stem from the death of 21-month-old John Gray in March 2003. The child suffered a ruptured liver, believed to have been caused by a blow to the abdomen, and was found to have over 200 injuries on 92 parts of his body, including fractured ribs and a fractured arm. Judge Mr. Justice McKinnon described the case as 'very bad indeed' and the pair guilty of 'extreme child cruelty.' Anger and fighting broke out among family members, with relatives shouting insults as the defendants were led away. Dean Gray, the boy’s father, condemned the sentences, calling them 'an absolute disgrace' and 'a travesty.' He expressed his intention to appeal, stating, 'Five years for killing my little boy? His life was worth more than that.' Gray revealed he had contacted Fife Constabulary about concerns for his child's safety, which were ignored if the injuries occurred in England. The court heard Gray had separated from her husband after beginning an affair with McEwan. The events unfolded after Gray and her children traveled to Manchester, where the boy vomited green bile and was later found unresponsive by Gray. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead. Gray's legal representative described her infatuation with McEwan as overwhelming and claimed McEwan tried to stop Gray from cuddling the toddler. Both Gray and McEwan sat with bowed heads as the judge emphasized the severity of their cruelty, highlighting the extensive injuries. The police acknowledged an internal investigation was underway over a failure to act on prior concerns about John's safety.