Jury told mother and boyfriend were 'in it together'

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court has been told that a mother and her boyfriend accused of murdering her two-year-old son, were "in it together." Keanu Williams was found dead at his home in Ward End, Birmingham in January 2011.

The prosecutor, Christopher Hotten QC told the jury that both Rebecca Shuttleworth and Luke Southerton were responsible for Keanu's death. He said "no matter who did what, we believe both defendants beat and abused Keanu. Both were in it together. Neither lifted a finger to help Keanu until it was too late."

This morning the jury was shown computer images of some of the 37 injuries to Keanu Williams' body. They were told that when he died two years ago, he had extensive bruising to his head, stomach, back and legs, as well as previous burns to his foot.

Rebecca Shuttleworth denied causing any injuries, the court heard, instead blaming the "clumsiness" of the two-year-old. During police interviews, the jury heard that his mother and Luke Southerton kept changing their accounts and that there were inconsistencies in their evidence.

Mr Hotten told the jury that at one point Luke Southerton did admit to police that he bit Keanu Williams on the arm. When he was asked if he had done anything to contribute to Keanu's death, Southerton replied "I don't know. I'm not a violent person."

The defendants deny the charges. The trial has been adjourned until Monday.