A couple from Manor Park have been each sentenced to 11 years in jail today for causing or allowing the death of their 16-week-old daughter.

Drug addicts Jeffrey Wiltshire, 52, and Rosalin Baker, 25, of Morris Avenue, concocted a “devious” plan to get away with the horrific abuse of 16-week-old Imani which culminated in her death in September last year.

They staged a “cynical charade” in which Baker boarded a number 25 bus to Stratford with the body of her dead daughter strapped to a sling before pretending she had fallen ill and died during the journey.

Wiltshire was caught on CCTV giving Baker a kiss and a thumbs up before Baker raised the alarm during the journey.

She blamed her actions on Wiltshire’s controlling and abusive behaviour but Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC said both individuals had “lied about so many things” that their credibility “was always in doubt”.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey, he said he could not accept Baker’s assertion that she was a domestic abuse victim and was really “overwhelmed by events”, saying she was complicit in the deception of passengers on board.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey last month, the pair were cleared of murder but convicted of causing or allowing the death of their daughter, who was on the child protection register.

Judge Hilliard said Imani had been subjected to torture by both parents and her final days must have been “terrifying, painful and bewildering”.

The tot suffered 40 rib fractures, a broken wrist and terrible head injuries on three occasions in the weeks before her death.

Her injuries were described as “the kind that you might get after a road collision or a fall from a first-floor window”.

He added that it was a “safe and sure-fire conclusion” that Wiltshire and Baker had intended to cause Imani “serious bodily hurt” even though the jury could not be sure who was ultimately responsible for her death.

Wiltshire, a former rapper who claimed to have fathered 25 children, previously insisted: “I’m not a life taker, I’m a baby maker.”

Both individuals must serve at least half of their sentence before they can be considered for parole.

The maximum sentence for causing or allowing the death of a child is 14 years.

An NSPCC spokeswoman said: “This is a deeply disturbing case and we hope an upcoming serious case review provides much-needed answers about the circumstances surrounding this tragic death.

“As her parents, Baker and Wiltshire should have kept their daughter safe from harm. Instead, they either caused or allowed her death and went to extreme lengths to try and conceal it.

“Baby Imani had her whole life ahead of her and it’s entirely right that her parents have faced justice for their actions.

“Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 while young people can call Childline on 0800 1111.”