The stepmother of a six-year-old girl who died after months of physical abuse has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Lauren Wright died in May 2000 of a blow to the stomach which caused her digestive system to collapse.

Her stepmother Tracey Wright, 31, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court.

Judge David Mellor gave her a 10-year sentence for manslaughter and a five-year sentence for the conviction of cruelly treating Lauren as a result of wilful neglect.

Judge Mellor imposed three-year jail terms on each of Craig Wright's charges of manslaughter and wilful neglect and said they would run concurrently.

During the sentencing hearing, the judge was told that Tracey Wright was attacked while in prison and had boiling water poured over her.

Tracey Wright: "Vile and sadistic"

"Feelings among prisoners run high and her time in prison will be particularly difficult and particularly lonely," Tracey Wright's counsel Johanna Greenberg told the court.

She said that Tracey deserved sympathy because she functioned on the intellectual level of a "primary school child".

The pair had both denied the charges.

The judge said Lauren had spent the last months of her life in misery and "died a more drawn out and agonising death than that suffered by most victims of murder".

Craig Wright's counsel Susan Edwards said her client is constantly haunted by the fact that he should have done more for his daughter.

Sixty bruises

She said there was no suggestion that he had abused or assaulted Lauren and he had not seen her being abused by Tracey Wright.

Craig Wright said he didn't notice the abuse

The jury was told during the trial that Lauren was regularly seen with bruises and was so malnourished her hair was falling out.

A post mortem examination revealed 60 bruises on the child's body.

The judge said that Tracey Wright had reason to be frustrated with the amount of time her husband spent either at the pub or fishing.

But he said it was "unforgivable" that she vented her frustration on Lauren.

Neighbours eventually alerted social services seven weeks before she died.

After the trial, police described Tracey Wright's behaviour as "vile and sadistic."

'Inadequate father'

Acting Chief Superintendent Martin Wright, who headed the investigation into Lauren's death, said: "Tracey was clearly the person who inflicted the harm on Lauren."

Jurors heard how Tracey Wright had been seen punching Lauren to the floor while walking in the street, had made her stand in front of a fire for more than an hour and had poured "half a pot" of pepper into a sandwich for her.

Craig Wright insisted that he had known nothing about Lauren being abused by his wife.

He said he trusted Tracey Wright to care for Lauren and had believed her when she explained Lauren's injuries as a result of domestic accidents or playground bullying.

The judge described Craig Wright as having "quite extraordinary self-centredness" and said he was "the most inadequate of fathers".

The judge said that Tracey Wright would be eligible for parole after serving half of her 15-year term.

He said Craig Wright would be released on parole after serving half of his three-year term.