Tragic Eve Leatherland has still not been buried - two years after her death

Eve Leatherland has been kept in a freezer since October 2017 when she was beaten, poisoned and left to die aged 22 months.

She suffered two skull fractures, 12 rib fractures and eventually died after being given a fatal dose of codeine to try and cover up her injuries.

Her mother Abigail Leatherland, 26, of Liskeard, Cornwall, and her former partner Thomas Curd, 31, of Watford, were both jailed earlier this year in connection with the toddler's death after a court heard they browsed Facebook and played video games while she lay dying.

Thomas Curd from Watford and Abigail Leatherland from Liskeard, both pictured above, are in prison

An inquest this week heard legal wrangling involving Eve's alleged biological father Dean Bird had meant she had still not had a funeral.

A coroner described the delay as "disgraceful."

The inquest heard that Eve's mother Abigail Leatherland, and her boyfriend Thomas Curd, phoned an ambulance for Eve when she was "unresponsive and floppy" at home in Liskeard.

She was found by paramedics in a filthy bed with vomit round her mouth, before being taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where she died.

An investigation later revealed that baby Eve was malnourished and had a fractured skull, fractured ribs and multiple bruises before she died of her injuries and a 'fatal concentration' of the pain-killer codeine.

Eve Leatherland

Leatherland is currently serving three and a half years in prison for allowing or causing Eve to die, while her boyfriend, Curd, is serving life with a minimum of 20 years for Eve's murder.

Now, due to a lengthy battle between Eve's alleged biological father and the court system, Eve's body has still not been released for burial, the inquest was told.

Speaking at the inquest, senior coroner Ian Arrow said that initially police did not believe Eve's death was suspicious.

However, concerns were raised due to the number of bruises on her body and a forensic post-mortem examination was requested.

Mr Arrow told the inquest that Eve died from a 'fatal concentration' of the adult pain-killer codeine which should never be given to children, he said, and her multiple injuries.

She also had an amount of paracetamol in her system which was 'above therapeutic levels'.

Eve's alleged biological father, Dean Bird, has been battling the courts since 2017 as he requests to be acknowledged as Eve's father, but is not named on Eve's birth certificate.

Dean Bird, pictured with Eve, is currently in a legal battle with the courts

Mr Arrow told the inquest that in September last year he told Mr Bird to go to court to confirm he is Eve's natural father and ascertained that "Eve could not be released to anybody until court had sorted out who was the next of kin".

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Arrow said that it's "disgraceful" that Eve's body is still yet to be released, over two years since she died.

Mr Bird previously said he is desperate to bury her close to his family home in Nottinghamshire.

However, as he was not with Eve's mother when her birth was registered he is not named on the birth certificate and therefore has no legal parental rights.

He said he has offered to pay for a DNA test to prove that he is Eve's father.

He added: "As Eve's father I wish to bring her body, when it is released, to be buried near me.

"My daughter deserves to be laid to rest by a father who loves her and in an area where it is accessible for me and my family, so we have a place to go to visit Eve and remember her."

Mr Arrow finished his statement by mentioning a new government fund that ensures bereaved parents no longer have to pay for the cost of their child's burial or cremation.