Dad who killed baby because she wouldn't stop crying starved himself to spend £200 a week on cannabis
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A killer dad who murdered his eight-week-old baby daughter because she wouldn't stop crying spent £200 a week on cannabis with the girl's mum.
Health professionals failed to spot the couple's drug habit - even though they were starving themselves to pay for the addition, a report found.
John Burrill, 32, threw his newborn baby daughter Daisy-Mae on a sofa in irritation and frustration when she woke up crying in March 2016.
Burrill has never admitted how he inflicted her fatal injuries, but his trial was told he lost his temper when she would not go to sleep.
He admitted killing his young daughter but denied murder; however, he was found guilty following a trial at Preston Crown Court, Lancashire .
Tests and scans revealed little Daisy had a number of injuries to her head, legs and ribs, which experts said were 'non-accidental'.
(Image: PA)
The court heard he swung the tot by her legs against a hard surface, cracking her skull and causing her heart to stop.
He was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years behind bars in October.
A serious case review said doctors, health visitors and midwives were all unaware of her parents' cannabis use.
Although the report said Burrill's brutal attack on his eight-week-old daughter could not have been predicted, it also admitted more could now be done to highlight the dangers of using the illegal drug around children.
The report revealed that Burrill attended A&E twice for injuries he sustained after punching walls and police raided the family home twice looking for drugs before Daisy was born.
The family's rented home in Fleetwood, Lancashire, was riddled with damp and the couple were heavily in debt, often going hungry as a result, because of their drug habit.
The Lancashire Safeguarding Children board report said: "They used cannabis on a daily basis and would at time spend up to £200-a-week on cannabis."
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Both parents were interviewed for the report and claimed they "always prioritised" their children's needs before spending money on cannabis, a class B drug.
Burrill said he had "never hit anyone", while Ms Cox said she "had no concerns at any time" that he would hurt the children or her, despite his furious outbursts.
Both said it was "unlikely" they would have admitted to using drugs if asked but the report said it was a "challenge to understand" how it went unnoticed.
While it said Burrill had "higher usage", the report added: "The impact of significant amounts of the family budget being spent on cannabis affected them both.
"[Burrill] said he worked for very long hours and both he and [Ms Cox] had lost significant amounts of weight as they often went without food."
In a victim impact statement read before the court last year, Ms Cox said: "I have lost everything that was my life.
"I haven't been able to eat or sleep properly since this happened."