A DEVON mother and her former partner have been jailed for the murder of her 18-month-old son in a night of "violent discipline" in a caravan.
Mr Justice Cavanagh yesterday sentenced Sian Hedges, 27, and Jack Benham, 35, at Maidstone Crown Court to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 19 years and 23 years respectively for the whisky and cocaine-fuelled killing of Alfie Phillips.
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. Alfie suffered 70 injuries to his body in the overnight attack by Hedges and Benham in his caravan in Hernhill, Kent. The little boy died with a "myriad of bruises", broken ribs, arms and a leg, and traces of cocaine in his body, on November 28 2020, the court heard.
This story is from the January 13, 2024 edition of The Herald.
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This story is from the January 13, 2024 edition of The Herald.
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