Mother and 'heartless' stepfather convicted of starving Daniel Pelka, 4, to death
AN EVIL mother and stepfather have been found guilty of starving four-year-old Daniel Pelka to death and subjecting him to horrific cruelty in court today.
Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek were convicted of murdering the child, described as a 'little angel', and subjecting him to six months of horrific abuse at Birmingham Crown Court.
Jurors heard the toddler was denied food, regularly 'imprisoned' in a foul smelling locked room, force fed salt and made to perform punishing exercises in his Coventry home.
Detective Inspector Chris Hanson, who led the investigation into the child's death, said the abuse the child suffered was impossible to comprehend.
He said: "I have been a detective in the child abuse investigation department for five years and it's the worst I've ever seen.
"The prolonged and protracted element of it is just completely harrowing and very difficult to accept."
The court heard physically imposing Krezolek, who worked as a plasterer, used his training in the Polish Army to devise gruelling exercises to punish him.
He was described as a 'heartless' monster in court.
The boy's murder, which occurred on Saturday March 3 2012, happened after weeks where teachers saw bruises to his neck and black eyes.
The biological father of the victim, Eryk Pelka, described his son as a 'little angel'.
He said: "It's a great tragedy that such a little angel had to leave this world.
"I hope that those responsible will be punished severely."
The pair, are due to be sentenced on Friday, showed no emotion after the jury delivered their verdict after four hours of deliberation.
During the nine-week trial jurors heard Luczak and Krezolek tried to hide the horrifying abuse by claiming the child had an eating disorder.
The jury learnt that the toddler died in an unheated room around 33 hours after suffering a horrifying head injury.
Former soldier Krezolek blamed Luczak for the death during the trial, but texts between the pair showed the together inflicted the abuse.
The mobile messages proved the pair together inflicted over 20 separate injuries on the child and decided not to call an ambulance as he lay dying.
The horrific death is subject of a serious case review by Coventry's Safeguarding Children Board.
It will look at why social services and the police did not become involved after staff at Coventry's Little Heath Primary School noticed the injuries.