'Screams from flat where toddler died'

The sounds of "banshee screams" and children crying were heard coming from the flat where a couple are accused of torturing to death their two-year-old daughter, a court heard today.

Neighbours said the terrible noises became an everyday occurrence and were often accompanied by appalling anti-social behaviour from Leanne Labonte and Dennis Henry.

Labonte, 20, and Henry, 39, who sometimes uses the name Walker, deny manslaughter and child cruelty.

Their daughter Ainlee Walker's emaciated body was found to have 60 injuries when she died. The wounds included cigarette burns and scalds to her feet, apparently from being forced to stand in boiling water.

Ainlee died from what a doctor described as "the grossest of gross neglect". She weighed just 21lbs.

The Old Bailey heard that frequent screaming came from the couple's squalid second-floor council flat in Plaistow where they had three young children.

One neighbour kept a log of Henry's behaviour which included banging, arguing, shouting, screaming and breaking glass. Grandmother Gwendoline Veale said: "The programme Neighbours From Hell had nothing on it. They were disgusting.

"I heard him say 'stop tormenting that f***ing baby or I will f***ing kill you. You could hear him slapping her around.

"There was swearing and cursing and screaming. I have never heard anything like it. It was like a demented banshee. It was disgusting.'

When the couple first moved in Mrs Veale went to introduce herself but was told to f*** off. After that she was spat at by Labonte, Henry swung a punch at her and the couple invariably kicked her door when they went past.

"She used to call me a fat white slag," said Mrs Veale. "It never sounded like the children were playing. The windows of the flat were all blacked out. It just wasn't normal. I was really worried for those kids."

She said she alerted the police and social workers.

Another neighbour, Marcia Bailey, described Labonte's reaction when she went over to speak to her after seeing Ainlee for the first time in her pushchair. "I bent over to stroke the little girl but she said 'don't touch my f***ing child'," said Miss Bailey. "I jumped and asked why and she said 'I don't like strangers touching my child'."

Brian Nyman, who has lived in the block of flats for 25 years, said he had repeatedly complained to the council. Omar Ali, who lived with his girlfriend in the flat below the defendants, said they were always arguing. He added: "I heard a child cry nearly every day and him (Henry) shouting 'shut up, shut up'."

Mr Omar's girlfriend, Swafria Abraar, said: "Since we moved to the flat in January last year (12 months before Ainlee's death) there has been shouting and screaming every day."

The court has heard that "social services in the widest sense" had been involved with Labonte and her family since she was born in Newham in 1981.

When she had her first child at 15 they became more involved. Throughout social services' dealings with the pair their behaviour was "unco-operative, rude and even aggressive", said Ann Curnow, QC, prosecuting.

Both defendants failed to keep appointments for Ainlee and stole medical notes, and they were so disruptive that two GPs removed them from their lists and one asked for police protection.

The case continues.