An 18-month-old boy died after “aggressive and violent discipline” by the hands of his mom and her former associate, a courtroom has heard.
Alfie Philips had 70 seen accidents when he died in a caravan in Hernhill, close to Faversham, in Kent, in November 2020, a jury was informed.
The boy’s mom Sian Hedges, 27, of Yelverton, Devon, and her associate on the time, Jack Benham, 35, are on trial for his homicide.
Hedges was seen crying in courtroom as particulars of Alfie’s accidents have been learn aloud.
Jurors heard Alfie had a “myriad of bruises” and different marks and there was proof of fractures to his ribs, arms and leg.
There have been additionally indicators of smothering to his lips and mouth, Maidstone Crown Court was informed.
Traces of cocaine have been present in Alfie’s blood and urine samples, and medical doctors analyzing him steered it might have been passive inhalation of crack cocaine or from exterior contact with the drug.
Prosecutor Jennifer Knight KC stated that Hedges and Benham admitted to taking cocaine the evening Alfie died, and each had been ingesting whiskey and coke whereas he slept.
A month earlier than the infant’s loss of life, the pair exchanged textual content messages, by which Benham appeared to recommend Hedges ought to chunk her son after he had bitten him, which she stated she did not wish to do.
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In different messages, Benham, who shouldn’t be Alfie’s father, known as the teen a “cry baby” and “your little sod”, saying he was going to “poke him in the ear” after he turned off the heater in his caravan.
Ms Knight stated the defendants had “both agreed in meting out some sort of aggressive, violent ‘discipline’ to Alfie” on the evening of the twenty seventh to the twenty eighth, which “resulted in his death”, including that they have been within the caravan collectively all evening.
Alfie was described as blue and floppy when he was carried out of the caravan on 28 November 2020.
He was pronounced lifeless at Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother hospital in Margate at 12.35pm.
Ms Knight stated {that a} autopsy discovered that Alfie’s loss of life happened by “unnatural means as a result of the action of another or others”.
Benham stated Hedges would by no means have harm the kid, and in police interviews stated he would “deserve the noose” if he had prompted his loss of life.
Both Benham and Hedges denied wrongdoing to police however couldn’t clarify how Alfie bought his accidents, saying they remembered earlier events the place he had fallen over.
The trial continues.
Source: information.sky.com”