Social workers visited baby Finley Boden's home two days before death

2023-04-16

Why did they walk away? Social workers visited baby Finley Boden’s mess-strewn home two days before parents beat him to death but didn’t insist on seeing him – even when they spotted his mother buying drugs

Finley Boden suffered a catalogue of ‘appalling’ injuries before his death in 2020
Stephen Boden and Shannon Marsden convicted today at Derby Crown Court
Social workers visited two days before death of baby Finlay but didn’t see him

Social workers trying desperately to see baby Finley before his tragic death were turned away by his drug-using father at the door – just two days before he was murdered by his parents.

Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, murdered 10-month-old Finley Boden on Christmas Day 2020 during lockdown. He had suffered 71 bruises, 57 fractures and ‘crushed and twisted’ bones.

Social workers had raised concerns before Finley was even born due to concerns over the state of the family home and his parents’ drug use. He was removed from their care immediately after he was born, in February 2020.

But he was returned in November that year. Social workers saw the vulnerable child for the last time on November 27 despite numerous further visits to the Old Whittington home.

During the final visit, on December 23, Boden came to the front door and said the child was asleep because he was ‘not very well’ before closing the door in the social worker’s face – as his partner Marsden was buying drugs down the road.

Shannon Marsden is pictured with her son Finley. She was convicted of the baby’s murder on Friday

Images show the squalor the child endured before his tragic death in December 2020. The couple were regular drug users

On November 17, Finley was allowed to live permanently with Marsden and Boden, having been removed from the couple just days after his birth, despite evidence of his parents’ drug use as late as September 2020.

A number of social workers and health workers then visited the home address, but on more than one occasion, were unable to enter the property.

A home visit on November 19 found a four-centimetre bump on Finley’s forehead, which his parents blamed on a accident with a toy.

One social worker confirmed to the court in November 2022 that the last time she had seen baby Finley alive was on November 27, when he was asleep on the sofa while the couple listened to music upstairs.

The defendants had not opened the door and the social worker was forced to observe the child through the window.

During the December 23 visit, the social worker said Boden shut the door in her face after saying that Finley was asleep having being unwell.

Stephen Boden is pictured with his son Finley. He was convicted of the baby’s murder on Friday

A feeding bottle found at the home had mould growing on the inside. Social workers struggled to get access to baby Finley

While leaving, the social worker saw Marsden leaving a car just 100 yards away, after an exchange that looked like a ‘drug deal’.

She explained at trial in that the council’s view on the couple’s persistent drug use was that it needed to be safe.

‘One parent would take care of the children while the other went to collect drugs and vice-versa.’

The worker told the court: ‘There was a concern that Stephen and Shannon were using cannabis as a strategy to deal with emotions.

‘The concern was that having small children can be stressful at times – the worry was they would continue to use cannabis to cope with stress.’

On Christmas Eve, Finley was seen alive for the last time as he was out with his parents in Chesterfield, before he was killed on Christmas Day – just 39 days after he was returned to their care.

A child safeguarding review into the circumstances surrounding Finley’s death is currently underway.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, demanded a child safeguarding practice review, ‘to provide answers as soon as possible.’

He said the suffering of Finley, ‘inflicted by the very people who should have been caring for him’ was ‘harrowing and difficult to comprehend’.

‘The death of a child in such brutal circumstances leaves many of us asking questions and we await the child safeguarding practice review to provide answers as soon as possible,’ he added.

‘Finley was one of 36 children who died in England following abuse and maltreatment at home in 2020 alone.’

Finley Boden suffered a catalogue of ‘appalling’ injuries, including 71 bruises over his body and 57 fractures, many inflicted in the short period before his fatal collapse

Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, were convicted by a jury at Derby Crown Court this afternoon

The last time Finley was pictured alive, at Chesterfield Market Place on Christmas Eve, 2020

He said: ‘So that children who are most at risk are protected, it is vital the Government takes forward the changes recommended by previous reviews and experts to transform the child protection system and ensure the different agencies involved are able to work together effectively to focus on children and babies like Finley.’

CCTV images show Boden pushing the baby boy in a pram hours before the murder, which saw the evil couple break his pelvis in two with sustained ‘kicking or stamping’ and inflict burns on his hand – one ‘from a hot, flat surface’, the other ‘from a cigarette flame’.

The trial judge Mrs Justice Tipples choked back tears today while thanking the jury for their verdicts. Little Finley fatally collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Paramedics were called at 2.33am on Christmas Day and he was pronounced dead at hospital at 3.45am. His parents did not call an ambulance for an hour because Boden wanted to smoke cannabis and hide their drugs.

How Finley endured a short life of squalor after being returned to the care of his parents by social services

Images released by police today show the grim conditions Finley endured in his short life with his parents.

Clutter is seen throughout the home, with unwashed pots and pans piled up in the kitchen, toys and bags carelessly thrown into the bathtub and a bedside table littered with dirty cigarette butts and empty cans of energy drink.

Meanwhile, a feeding bottle appears to have mould growing on the inside and a number of stains are visible on bedsheets.

Medics discovered Boden trying to resuscitate Finley on the kitchen floor but also noticed that the youngster’s clothing was dirty, had dirty hands and fingernails, and he had new and raw scrapes and abrasions on his nose and linings of his nostrils.

Police released pictures of Finley and his killer parents for the first time on Friday, and the squalid conditions in which he spent his final days – with faeces in the bedroom.

Just hours after his son’s death, Boden was heard telling Marsden at hospital that he was going to sell Finley’s pushchair on eBay – later telling police he was trying to, ‘lighten the mood.’

He sent a text message two days before the child’s death saying: ‘I want to bounce him (Finley) off the walls.’

Little Finley becomes the latest victim in the harrowing rollcall of children killed in their homes in lockdown, including Star Hobson, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Logan Mwangi.

The inside of Finley’s mouth was ‘torn’, with Ms Prior saying: ‘This is caused by forcing a dummy or a bottle in the mouth.’

The baby had a ‘spiral’ break to a thigh, while a shin bone break was ‘consistent with being held by the ankle and gripped and twisted’.

Detective Inspector Steve Shaw, of Derbyshire Constabulary, said the boy’s bones were ‘crushed and twisted’ during the campaign of abuse.

Discussing the case, DI Shaw said: ‘The appearance of Finley [at the time of his death] was generally showing signs that he had been neglected.

‘Officers went to the house on Holland Road where they lived and they found squalid living conditions, filthy bedding, filthy clothing, rotting food in the kitchen, no environment to bring a child up in, and there were signs of cannabis abuse scattered around the house.

‘But I don’t think that prepared us for the level of injury that we discovered when the post-mortem took place.

‘The majority of Finley’s bones were fractured in some way and as the investigation progressed, the evidence from some of the experts around the levels of force that had to be used – Finley’s bones had to be crushed and twisted with quite some force – eliminated any accidental cause of these injuries.’

Finley suffered 57 fractures to his bones – including 45 rib fractures – several burns and 71 bruises in the weeks prior to his death, on Christmas Day 2020.

The injuries inflicted included a broken shoulder, broken arm, broken shinbone, a thigh bone broken in four places, and a pelvis broken in two places.

He had also developed pneumonia, endocarditis – inflammation of the lining of the heart – and sepsis.

Clutter is seen throughout the home, with unwashed pots and pans piled up in the kitchen

Energy drinks, drugs paraphernalia and cigarettes lay beside Finley’s Calpol and botte in the room where he slept

The police investigation – which took a year before charges were brought -compiled evidence from burn experts, paediatricians and pathologists, who concluded that the injuries were deliberately inflicted.

At the time of his death, Finley was found to have 130 separate bruises, bone breaks and fractures, and burns.

Further enquiries revealed that drug use and domestic abuse were themes of Boden and Marsden’s relationship in the months and weeks prior to Finley’s murder.

But DI Shaw said that while ‘you can’t dispute there is an element of domestic abuse’ in the pair’s relationship, both ‘had to be complicit’ in what was happening.

He said: ‘Despite what happened in that address on that day, when Shannon and Stephen were released on bail, initially with conditions not to contact each other, within a couple of weeks they had resumed their relationship and they continued with that relationship until they were arrested again, both charged and placed in prison.

‘I don’t think anyone could have prepared us for it’: Policeman reveals horror at Finley’s injuries

Detective Inspector Steve Shaw, of Derbyshire Constabulary, said that Finley’s bones were ‘crushed and twisted’ during the campaign of abuse.

Discussing the case, DI Shaw said: ‘The appearance of Finley [at the time of his death] was generally showing signs that he had been neglected.

‘But I don’t think that prepared us for the level of injury that we discovered when the post-mortem took place.

Finley suffered 57 fractures to his bones – including 45 rib fractures – several burns and 71 bruises in the weeks prior to his death, on Christmas Day 2020.

The injuries inflicted included a broken shoulder, broken arm, broken shinbone, a thigh bone broken in four places, and a pelvis broken in two places.

He had also developed pneumonia, endocarditis – inflammation of the lining of the heart – and sepsis.

‘Even whilst they were in prison, they were writing affectionate letters to each other, and so while clearly, this relationship had quite toxic elements in the fact that the couple would argue, it could be a disruptive and certainly a poor environment to raise any child, there was, in my view, quite strong elements of co-dependency on each other.

‘That is taking into account that the Holland Road address where they lived, was in a squalid state and a small property for a family, so both parties had to be complicit and have knowledge of what was going on within that tiny space.’

Boden later claimed to a relative the family dog may have ‘jumped on’ Finley, causing multiple broken ribs, while allegedly blaming marks on Finley’s mouth on his son hitting himself ‘with a rattle’.

He told another relative the pair did not call an ambulance for an hour because he wanted to have a cannabis joint and hide the drugs stash.

Marsden was 17 and Boden was 24 when they first met and both enjoyed smoking cannabis together.

Child protection concerns meant Finley was originally removed from his parents’ care shortly after being born in February 2020.

Finley was returned to the couple’s care over eight weeks by a court order in October 2020, despite social workers asking for a longer transition.

Boden, of Romford Way in Barrow Hill, Chesterfield, and Marsden, of no fixed address, had denied murder, two counts of child cruelty and two charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Prosecutor Mary Prior KC described how Finley suffered a catalogue of ‘appalling’ injuries, including 71 bruises over his body and 57 fractures, many inflicted in the short period before his fatal collapse.

Images released by police today show the grim conditions Finley endured in his short life with his parents.

A feeding bottle appears to have mould growing on the inside and a number of stains are visible on bedsheets.

Medics discovered Boden trying to resuscitate Finley on the kitchen floor but noticed that the youngster’s clothing was dirty, had dirty hands and fingernails, and he had new and raw scrapes and abrasions on his nose and linings of his nostrils.

The couple ‘surprised’ officers when the topic of conversation in the police car following the tragedy was what the food was for Christmas Day, and on Boxing Day, they were heard at a relative’s house ‘laughing and joking’.

Toys and bags were carelessly thrown into the bathtub in another example of the poor conditions Finley suffered

The parents were said to have prioritised getting money to spend on cannabis over their baby’s care.

Ms Prior said earlier in the trial: ‘His parents, we say, worked together to hide the injuries from the social worker, from the health visitor and the police for their own self-centred reasons.

‘They didn’t want social services to remove Finley if the appalling way they were treating Finley was discovered.’

The first contact with social services came in September 2019, when Marsden told professionals she was 20 weeks pregnant with Finley.

Timeline of Finley’s short life and contact with social services

September 20, 2019: Marsden informs social care she is 20 weeks pregnant with Finley

October 2019: Social care begin court proceedings in relation to the unborn child

January 16, 2020: Social worker visits the couple’s address, finding holes in a bedroom door

January 21, 2020: Unborn Finley is made subject of a child protection plan

February 15, 2020: Finley is born

February 18, 2020: Finley leaves hospital and is removed from the couple’s care

February 25, 2020: Boden and Marsden tell social care they want Finley back

October 1, 2020: Family court directs Finley should be returned to care of his parents under an eight-week plan including unsupervised visits and overnight stays of varying durations

November 17, 2020: Finley is allowed to live permanently with his parents

November 19, 2020: New social worker visits home address

November 20, 2020: Health visitor visits the address

November 26, 2020: Health visitor tries to call Marsden but there is no answer

November 27, 2020: Social worker makes unannounced visit to the home

November 29, 2020: Boden and Marsden record video and pictures of Finley on their phone

December 23, 2020: Social worker visits the property but is unable to go inside

December 24, 2020: Finley is seen alive for the last time as he is taken out by his parents in Chesterfield

December 25, 2020: Finley is murdered

Court proceedings then began the following month and in January, following a visit to the couple’s home, where a worker found cluttered conditions and holes punched through doors, the unborn Finley was made the subject of a child protection plan.

Three days after he was born on February 15, 2020, Finley left hospital and was removed from the care of Marsden and Boden.

After demanding their son back, a family court directed in October that Finley should be returned to their care under an eight-week plan, which included unsupervised visits and overnight stays of varying durations.

On November 17, Finley was allowed to live permanently with Marsden and Boden.

A number of social workers and health workers then visited the home address, but on more than one occasion, was unable to enter the property.

On Christmas Eve, Finley was last seen while out with his parents in Chesterfield, before he was killed on Christmas Day – just 39 days after he was returned to their care.

The trial previously heard chilling text messages sent from the parents’ joint mobile phone.

One message from that handset to a contact saved as ‘Smokey J’ at 12.39pm on December 23, 2020, said: ‘Little one f****** kept me up all night. I want to bounce him off the walls. Haha.’

Before the youngster was returned to the couple’s care by a court order, internet searches were made on that phone for several news articles relating to parent-involved child deaths.

On October 15, 2020, a record was found of a BBC story about a ‘father jailed for killing two-month-old son’.

Another on the same day brought up an article about a mother ‘charged with killing 20-month-old daughter through neglect’.

On November 17, 2020, the date Finley was returned to the couple’s care, similar internet searches were carried out – and then again on December 7.

On December 6, the phone was used to search the term ‘does anyone know if there’s a women’s refuge’ in Chesterfield.

Six days later shortly before 5am, text messages which the Crown has said were written by Marsden were sent to one of her relatives.

The messages, read by prosecution barrister Sally Hobson, said: ‘I apologise for waking you but I didn’t know what else to do, it was either you or the police and Stephen didn’t want Finley in the house.

‘I ain’t doing it anymore. I wanted a nice happy family Christmas, but that’s not going to happen here.’

The phone was shortly thereafter used to search for ’emergency housing, mum and kids, Chesterfield’, the court heard.

Further messages read: ‘He couldn’t give two s***s if I were still here or not, I don’t think he wants this family anymore.’

Heartbreaking video footage shows little Finley Boden innocently giggling – just days before he was brutally killed by his parents

Finley plays with his dummy and laughs in more heartbreaking video footage of the youngster

On December 12, 2020, Marsden is said to have sent the following text to another relative: ‘Me and Stephen have done nothing but argue all night, he’s not bothered about us at all.’

It went on: ‘He told me to get out the house this morning at 4.30am, because Finley was crying and I’m not going to risk neighbours getting involved and risk losing Finley.

Child safeguarding review launched after Finley was sent back to live with killer parents

A child safeguarding review into the circumstances surrounding Finley’s death is currently under way.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, demanded a child safeguarding practice review, ‘to provide answers as soon as possible.’

He said the suffering of Finley, ‘inflicted by the very people who should have been caring for him’ was ‘harrowing and difficult to comprehend’.

‘The death of a child in such brutal circumstances leaves many of us asking questions and we await the child safeguarding practice review to provide answers as soon as possible,’ he added.

‘Finley was one of 36 children who died in England following abuse and maltreatment at home in 2020 alone.’

Finley was returned to the couple’s care over eight weeks by a court order in October 2020, despite social workers asking for a longer transition.

A report by the family’s social worker had recommended a six-month transition, three times longer than the eight-week period which was ordered at a court hearing concerning the child’s care, in October 2020.

The first contact with social services came in September 2019, when Marsden told professionals she was 20 weeks pregnant with Finley.

Three days after he was born on February 15, 2020, Finley left hospital and was removed from the care of Marsden and Boden.

On November 17, Finley was allowed to live permanently with Marsden and Boden.

A number of social workers and health workers then visited the home address, but on more than one occasion, were unable to enter the property.

On Christmas Eve, Finley was seen alive for the first time as he was out with his parents in Chesterfield, before he was killed on Christmas Day – just 39 days after he was returned to their care.

‘I need to get out… I’ve stuck around so many times, thinking things will get better. It never does. It never will.’

She later said: ‘Stephen will never see these kids again, after I’m done.’

The jury then heard how the same phone was used to send a message, which the Crown has suggested was Boden, which read: ‘F****** been up all night, little one has been ill as f***.’

The next day, he is said to have sent another message to a suspected drug dealer, which read: ‘Just kid and missus doing my nut, and need a smoke bad. Haha.’

On December 14, a message, this time said be from Marsden, was sent to a relative which read: ‘I’m deleting this after I’ve sent it but please have the baby before Friday, make an excuse or something, please. I need him at yours, so I can do what I need to.’

However, the next morning – nine days before Finley’s death – a text to the same number read: ‘I’m deleting this after I’ve sent it so don’t answer, but you’re not having him tomorrow. I think no one is seeing Finley right now.’

In the next 24 hours, another three internet news searches were done on the phone, bringing up articles including one about a ‘Derby mum who killed her baby’ and another about a child who was killed ‘because he cried too much’.

On December 21, days before Finley’s fatal collapse, Marsden is said to have messaged another relative saying: ‘Get the police to mine, tell them I’m scared of Stephen around the baby.

‘He’s just hit me again… tell them he’ll kill me. He just tried. Please, I will be dead. Not joking.’

The trial also heard evidence from social worker Jennifer Hancock, who recounted details of a half-hour telephone conversation she had with Marsden on February 11, 2021.

The call took place after both parents had already been initially arrested and released on conditional bail not to contact one another, while police investigations into Finley’s death were continuing.

Marsden sent a text message to Mrs Hancock, asking her to ring – which the local authority worker immediately did.

Ms Prior, asked the witness what Marsden’s manner was during the call, to which she replied: ‘She was irate, distressed, shouting, talking at great speed and swearing at me.’

In the midst of the call, Mrs Hancock claimed she was asked by Marsden to pass on a message to another male family member, telling the social worker: ‘Tell him the full-on truth.’

Mrs Hancock added Marsden then alleged Boden ‘killed’ Finley and that she (Marsden) ‘didn’t see it coming’.

In the same conversation, Marsden alleged Finley ‘was beaten to death’.

Marsden had also claimed in the call that Boden ‘was in contact with other women’, telling one of them she (Marsden) ‘was dead’, and also told his partner ‘he was going to leave’ in the days before Finley’s death, the jury heard.

Ms Prior asked the social worker: ‘Did she (Marsden) say anything else to you about how Mr Boden would talk to her?’

Mrs Hancock said: ‘She did. When pregnant with Finley, which was unexpected, he told her to “do what you like”.’

The Crown’s KC then asked: ‘Did she tell you anything about how Mr Boden spoke about Finley?’

The social worker replied: ‘She told me he killed his own son… and that she was annoyed and stated Mr Boden had said to the police, he “might have done it, he can’t remember”.’

Little Finley was tragically pronounced dead on Christmas Day, 2020, after suffering a number of horrific injuries

Child protection concerns meant Finley was originally removed from his parents’ care shortly after being born in February 2020

A social worker found holes in one of the doors when they visited the home of Boden and Marsden

Mock up image of text messages the court heard were sent from the couple’s phone

Mrs Hancock said she continued supporting Marsden after her son’s death, contacting the GP about her mental health, making regular check-ins, and also inquired about getting her help as a possible victim of domestic abuse.

The social worker said: ‘We were concerned about whether there was domestic abuse.

‘She was referred through as high risk, and allocated an independent domestic high-risk advocate.

‘They (the advocate) speak about safety plans, if somebody needs to go into a refuge, help them and just generally making sure the person is supported, if they wanted to report incidents.’

Heartbreaking rollcall of children who became victims of lockdown

The Covid-19 lockdown has produced a heartbreaking rollcall of children who became victims of tragic deaths at the hands of those who are meant to take care of them.

Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.

The little girl was victim to a ‘frenized and extremely violent attack’ on July 17, 2020 at her home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, by her mother Sinead James’ new partner Kyle Bevan, 31. She died four days later.

Young Logan Mwangi, five, was killed by his mother, stepfather and stepbrother on July 31, 2020 after suffering ‘catastrophic’ internal injuries. His body was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend County.

Star Hobson was only 16 months old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire on September 22, 2020 by her mother Frankie Smith’s girlfriend Savannah Brockhill, after suffering months of abuse in her home during the Covid lockdown.

A mother and her ‘monster’ boyfriend have been found guilty over the death of two-year-old Lola James (pictured) who was fatally attacked at her home in Wales

NSPCC Cymru’s assistant director Tracey Holdsworth said a review into Lola’s death must establish whether more could have been done by agencies to prevent her death and called for the Welsh Government to make child protection a national priority.

Ms Holdsworth said: ‘This is another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on.

‘Lola deserved a happy and healthy future, but that was cruelly taken away by the horrendous actions of Kyle Bevan and the failure of her mother, Sinead James, to intervene.

‘The Welsh Government has rightly committed to transforming children’s social care and it’s crucial this leads to systemic changes that ensure children like Lola are better protected.’

Lola James, two – murdered July 17, 2020

Lola James, two

Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.

Sinead James, 30, moved her partner Kyle Bevan, 31, into the house she shared with little Lola James in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, a day after meeting him on Facebook in February 2020.

Swansea Crown Court heard Bevan, who had a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ temper, carried out a ‘frenzied and extremely violent attack’ on the young girl just four months later, causing 101 bruises and scratches and a catastrophic injury to the brain.

Lola’s mother was a victim of domestic abuse and had twice been educated on how to spot signs of an abuser, but chose to prioritise her relationship with Bevan over the safety of her child, the jury was told – before they convicted her of allowing Lola’s death.

James was told by the local authority not to invite adults into the family home if she did not know them well or if they were alcohol or drug abusers, but she ignored their advice.

Kaylea Titford, 16 – found dead October 10, 2020

Also amongst the victims of lockdown is Kaylea Titford.

Kaylea Titford, 16

The 16-year-old, who suffered from spina bifida, was found dead at her home in Newtown, Powys, on October 10, 2020 after her parents allowed her to become morbidly obese during lockdown.

Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admitted manslaughter by gross negligence last year, while her father, Alun Titford, denied the charges and was found guilty after a trial last month.

The teenager weighed 22st 13lb with a BMI of 70 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered inside her bedroom in conditions described as ‘unfit for any animal’.

A jury of eight men and four women convicted Titford after being shown pictures during the trial at Mold Crown Court in North Wales of the ‘squalor and degradation’ Kaylea had been forced to endure.

Alijah Thomas, five – murdered September 14, 2021

Five-year-old Alijah Thomas begged her mother Martina Madarova, 41, not to kill her as she strangled her to death at their home in Ealing, west London, on September 14, 2021.

Alijah Thomas, five

Madarova had put on cartoons for her daughter Alijah Thomas before carrying out the act as the child said: ‘Mummy, don’t kill me.’ She proceeded to strangle Aljah, before ‘tucking her in with a blanket’.

The 41-year-old had been suffering with her mental health and turned to alcohol during the Covid lockdown, and had been in a ‘dark place’ the night before her daughter’s tragic death.

She was given a five-year jail sentence after a judge ruled that she had ‘low responsibility’ over Alijah’s death.

A court heard that in the months leading up to the incident, family members and friends became concerned for Madarova’s wellbeing as she appeared ‘increasingly stressed’.

She was concerned for her income, after her hours as a carer had been reduced, and had become anxious after missing the deadline to enrol Alijah at school.

On the morning of September 14, Alijah’s father had left early for work and was notified a few hours later from a phone call from Madarova that their daughter was dead.

Kyrell Matthews, two – murdered October 20, 2019

Kyrell Matthews, two

Kyrell Matthews, aged two, was left with 41 rib fractures and internal injuries by the time of his death after weeks of cruelty at the hands of his mother Phylesia Shirley and her boyfriend Kemar Brown.

Brown was convicted of murder while Shirley was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.

They appeared alongside each other in the dock as Brown was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison while Shirley was jailed for 13 years.

The toddler, who was non-verbal, could be heard crying and screaming on distressing audio files taken from Shirley’s phone and played to jurors during the trial.

Brown and Shirley are understood to have been visited by social services at least once.

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, murdered June 17, 2020

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, aged six, was murdered by his cruel stepmother Emma Tustin in June.

She was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and the boy’s father Thomas Hughes was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.

The boy had been seen by social workers just two months before his death, but they concluded there were no safeguarding concerns.

In October 2019, Aileen Carabine, a special educational coordinator at Arthur’s school, said Arthur ‘deteriorated’ that month.

Hughes, 29, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years after being found guilty of manslaughter – but cleared of murder – for encouraging the killing, including by sending a text message to Tustin 18 hours before the fatal assault telling her ‘just end him’.

Logan Mwangi, five – murdered July 31, 2020

Logan Mwangi, five

Five-year-old Logan Mwangi was murdered by his mother, step-father and teenage step-brother on July 31, 2021.

His body, which suffered 56 ‘catastrophic’ injuries consistent with a ‘brutal and sustained assault’ was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend county.

John Cole, 40, Angharad Williamson, 31, and 14-year-old Craig Mulligan were all convicted of murder in April 2022.

Cole will serve a minimum of 29 years, Williamson at least 28 years, while teenage Mulligan will serve at least 15 years.

Social services repeatedly missed signs of abuse and opportunities to protect Logan, with injuries dating back to August 2020.

Inspectors have blasted the council which failed to protect murdered five-year-old Logan Mwangi, with the watchdog insisting ‘serious concerns’ remain about its children’s services a full year after his death.

Care Inspectorate Wales noted there have been improvements at Bridgend County Borough Council in the last 12 months, but said there was still a need for ‘further urgent action’.

Star Hobson, 16 months – murdered September 22, 2020

Star Hobson, 16 months

Star Hobson was just 16 months old when she was murdered by her mother’s girlfriend Savannah Brockill in September 2020.

In the lead-up to her death, she had suffered months of abuse in her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

Former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, the chairwoman of the Commission on Young Lives, warned after Star’s murder that the Covid lockdown ‘brought its own opportunities for those who harm, groom and abuse children.’

Brockill is now serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years at HMP Styal in Cheshire, after being convicted in December 2021.

Star’s mother, Frankie Smith, was convicted of causing or allowing the toddler’s death and was initially sentenced to eight years behind bars.

This was increased to 12 years after a judicial review.

Social services missed five opportunities to stop Star’s killers, with her great-grandfather Dave Fawcett saying after their convictions: ‘It’s disgusting because there were five referrals. Not one of them did anything. It’s just beyond belief, really.

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