(mirror.co.uk
>An evil dad whose seven-year-old son was found dead encased in concrete has been jailed for 72 years.
Tragic Caden McWilliams weighed less than two stone when he died, having been beaten and starved by his twisted father Leland Pankey.
Pankey, 40, was given the longest sentence the court in Denver, US, could pass after admitting child abuse resulting in death.
The schoolboy was found with fractures to his head, torso and limbs, and tests revealed he had cocaine metabolite in his tissue. Caden was found in a kennel hidden in a storage unit two days before Christmas 2018.
Pankey had previously been in custody on unrelated charges, including domestic violence against his wife, Elisha Pankey.
Investigators were unable to determine how Caden died, and a murder charge against his dad was dropped.
The court heard the youngster's sister, who was four when Caden died, has been left deeply traumatised by what happened. She used to feed him through the bars of the kennel where he was forced to live, the court heard.
The case was described by prosecutor Beth McCann as "one of the most horrific cases ever handled by the Denver DA's office".
>"Pankey’s offenses were intentional, deliberate, calculated, callous, self-serving and depraved of any sense of humanity or human kindness. [The crimes] shock the conscience and are incomprehensible to the people of Denver."
Police arrested the boy's mum Elisha in January last year, and she faces up to 32 years in prison for child abuse resulting in death and abuse of a corpse. She said she knew her husband was abusing Caden and not feeding him. Caden had been crying out that he was hot and thirsty, according to reports.
Ms McCann said Caden was a "caring" child who wanted to be an engineer. She said he had a "gentle nature".
