THE attorney general has been asked to review the sentence handed down to child murderer Laura Castle after a claim it was 'unduly lenient'.

The attorney general's office is considering a referral made under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Castle, 38, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 18 years for the murder of baby Leiland-James Corkill, who was she was planning to adopt.

During a trial at Preston Crown Court, Castle admitted shaking the one-year-old child to death at her home in Barrow.

Members of the public can ask the attorney general’s office to examine sentences handed down by crown courts in England and Wales within 28 days of sentencing under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme (ULS).

The attorney general’s Office will then review the request and decide whether to send it to the Court of Appeal to make a decision about the sentence.

According to a listing on the website of the attorney general’s office, the referral is 'under consideration'.

Castle was convicted of murdering Leiland-James less than five months after she and husband Scott Castle, 35, had been granted care of the boy.

Preston Crown Court previously heard how Castle told authorities Leiland-James, from Whitehaven, had fallen off the sofa when he was taken to hospital with catastrophic head injuries in January 2021.

Castle rang for an ambulance on the morning of January 6 2021 and reported Leiland-James had fallen off the sofa, injured his head and was struggling to breathe.

However, hospital medics raised concerns as the extent of his injuries did not match her account.

Leiland-James died the following day as Laura Castle maintained to police, as well as family and friends, that the death was a tragic accident while her husband, a night shift worker, was asleep.

She stuck to her story until the day the jury was sworn in last month for her trial at Preston Crown Court when she pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The former care worker denied intending to kill Leiland-James or seriously harm him – but jurors took just two-and-half hours convict her of murder.

She was also convicted of child cruelty against Leiland-James.

Sentencing Castle, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told her: “Precisely what took place on January 6 may never be known as even now I do not consider you told the jury the full circumstances leading up to the death of Leiland-James.

“I consider your account significantly underplays the extent and degree of violence you inflicted.”