Alfie Phillips: Kent mother and ex-partner jailed for life for toddler's murder
WATCH: A mother and her ex-partner have been jailed for the murder of Alfie Phillips
A mother and her former partner have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her 18-month-old son in a caravan home in Kent.
Sian Hedges, 27, and her ex-boyfriend Jack Benham, 35, inflicted 70 injuries on Alfie Phillips in Hernhill on 28 November 2020.
A post-mortem found the little boy died with a "myriad of bruises", broken ribs, bite marks, and traces of cocaine in his body.
There was no evidence of any underlying disease or illness that could have caused these injuries.
At Maidstone Crown Court, Mr Justice Cavanagh sentenced Hedges and Behnam to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 19 years and 23 years respectively.
Both Hedges and Benham’s sentences are minus 313 days already spent in custody.
The pair were found guilty of Alfie’s murder after a nine-week trial where a unanimous verdict was reached in under 10 hours by the jury.
Hedges, of Yelverton, Devon and Benham, of Hernhill, Kent, had denied harming Alfie.
Instead, they claimed they shared a bed with him overnight and awoke at 11.30am to find him unresponsive.
The court heard Benham admit that he and Hedges were drug addicts who would regularly take drugs around her son.
In a victim impact statement read in court, Alfie’s father Sam Phillips said: "After the trial we still feel we deserve answers. I will never know the truth about what happened to my son.
"I never got to hear him say his first proper words, I never got to have a conversation with him, I was robbed of the opportunity to see him grow up."
WATCH: Mr Justice Cavanagh spoke about the injuries Alfie suffered
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Cavanagh said it was a "great tragedy" Alfie did not have the chance to "enjoy a full and happy life".
Addressing the defendants, Mr Justice Cavanagh described the attack as "cruel and brutal" and criticised their efforts to try to cover up the assault.
He added: "The injuries suffered by Alfie that night were so numerous and so serious that the medical experts were not able to say which of them had been the immediate cause of Alfie's death.
"It is absolutely clear however, that the cumulative effects of these vicious and brutal assaults resulted in his death.
"It must have taken some considerable time to inflict these injuries on Alfie. The pain and fear that he must have suffered is almost unimaginable."
Speaking after the sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court, Alfie’s father, Sam Phillips, said: "They finally got what they deserved.
"We have got the justice in our hearts.
"Justice has been done."
WATCH: Sam Phillips, the father of Alfie Phillips, and his partner Sarah Merritt, spoke to the media outside Maidstone Crown Court
Will Bodiam from CPS South East said: "This is an absolutely tragic case. Alfie was killed by the two people, one of whom was his own mother, who were responsible that night for looking after him and protecting him.
"Instead, they subjected him to series of assaults during the course of that fateful night, leaving him with devastating injuries that he could not survive.
"Rather than admitting what they had done, they both claimed they were not responsible for the injuries inflicted on Alfie, even though they were both present during the time the attacks took place and could not account for what had happened to him, acknowledging that just a few hours earlier, he appeared absolutely fine."
Kent Police’s senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Kathleen Way, said: "Hedges and Benham inflicted unimaginable suffering on Alfie during a night of violence.
"He should have been protected and loved by his mother, but instead lost his life in appalling circumstances.
"Throughout the investigation they refused to admit what they had done and chose to put the rest of Alfie’s family, who loved him dearly, through the ordeal of a trial. As a result they had to hear the grim catalogue of injuries and abuse he had suffered.
"This was a harrowing case for all those involved."
An NSPCC spokesperson said: "The pain and suffering endured by Alfie Philips in his short life, inflicted by those whose responsibility it was to care for him, was shocking and heart-breaking.
"Young children are totally dependent on the adults around them, and therefore particularly vulnerable to abuse. So it is vital that all is done to ensure the youngest members of our society are well cared for, protected and given the chance to thrive.
"It is crucial that anyone worried about a child’s safety speaks out about their concerns. People can contact the local authority, the police or the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or at help@nspcc.org.uk."
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