• Daniel Pelka died from a head injury in March 2012 after 'years of abuse'
• His mother Magdalena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek are accused of his murder
  
• Daniel's sibling told of abuse and how they found their dead brother's body
  

By Suzannah Hills

PUBLISHED: 10:25 EST, 3 July 2013 | UPDATED: 12:57 EST, 3 July 2013

The sibling of a boy who was allegedly starved and then beaten to death by his mother and her partner told a court today of the moment they found his body.

Daniel Pelka died from a head injury in March 2012 after allegedly suffering 'incomprehensible cruelty'.

Daniel’s mother, Magdalena Luczak, 27, and her partner, Mariusz Krezolek, 33, from Coventry, West Mids, are both accused of his murder.

His sibling, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, today told Birmingham Crown Court how they found Daniel on the floor and tried to wake him up but his heart 'wasn't beating'. 

The child said: 'I tried to wake him up and I couldn’t and I listened to his heart but his heart wasn’t beating.

'I shouted my mum and dad and then I didn’t see Daniel again.'

The sibling also revealed that they would look after Daniel 'because mum and dad didn’t bother'.

They told the court how they sneaked Daniel food when he was locked in his room and wasn’t allowed to go to the toilet.

The child also told the jury of a catalogue of abuse, claiming that Krezolak hit him on 10 separate occasions.

The child said: 'He hit my brother. My brother was screaming really loud.

'I came in and I had to be brave. I smashed my dad two times on his leg. I knew I had to be brave to save my brother. He said he was sorry and put him down.

'One time he put my brother in a cold bath. I asked him to stop it and I got my brother from the bath and pulled the plug and hugged him.

'He had been drinking too much. He bashed Daniel against the end of the bath. He just pushed him and he hit his head.'

The child told the court that Luczak also witnessed the bath assault.

They continued: 'They ran downstairs and I took Daniel out. He had a red mark on his head. I gave him kisses and cuddles. I told Daniel not to tell anyone so we didn’t get in trouble.

'They said Daniel couldn’t come downstairs, he wasn’t allowed, and he was meant to poo and wee in his room. I would put him in my bedroom. When he went to the toilet, I told him to leave the flush to me so they would not know that he was not locked in his room.

'If they thought that he was not locked he would be told off when he should be pooing and weeing in his bed.

'I would go upstairs and pretend to go to the toilet but I would just flush it.

'I would steal  pistachios and biscuits for him. She never cooked food for Daniel, I had to cook food for him.'

 

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