Couple convicted of causing death of five-month-old baby
A mum-of-nine and her boyfriend have been found guilty of causing the violent death of her baby boy from a catastrophic brain injury.
Danny Shepherd, 25, and Katherine Cox, 33, denied causing or allowing the death of a child in April, 2016 ,and causing or allowing physical harm to a child.
They also denied possessing the Class B drug amphetamine on April 14.
But a jury at Maidstone Crown Court saw through their lies, unanimously convicting them of all charges.
Cox, attended Astor of Hever School in Maidstone’s Oakwood Park, which became St Augustine Academy and grew up in Maidstone.
Tragic Eli Cox, aged just five months, had 28 fractures to bones in his body and had also been exposed to drugs at his home in Lapwing Close, Minster.
Maidstone Crown Court heard Eli suffered the fatal injuries at his home.
A medical expert said the fractures of varying ages to 19 bones were consistent with being “twisted, pulled, crushed and bent in half”.
Some injuries to his neck were described as similar to whiplash.
During the trial, prosecutor Jennifer Knight said Eli suffered extensive brain damage caused by a prolonged period of insufficient oxygen to the brain, which was consistent with excessive shaking.
It was suggested the injuries were inflicted on different occasions leading up to the child’s collapse on Wednesday, April 13 last year. He died two weeks later.
A pathologist found the fractures were caused on five different occasions. Some were almost certainly non-accidental. Nine were at the back of his rib cage. The oldest were up to 10 weeks before death.
Shepherd, known as Pickle, and Cox were the only adults in the four-bedroom house at the time of Eli’s collapse.
When Shepherd told Cox the baby had turned blue, she told the 999 operator the youngster wasn’t breathing. Shepherd performed “adult” chest compressions using both hands.
Cox asked: “Pickle, what have you done?” Shepherd said: “I will get the blame for this.”
Despite the efforts of medics at Medway Maritime Hospital and Kings College Hospital, it became apparent Eli would never recover from his brain injury. He died on April 27, 2016.
Shepherd maintained in evidence he had never harmed the baby. Cox did not give evidence but claimed in police interviews she was not aware of Eli being injured.
After the baby was taken to hospital a Vanish tub in the garden shed was found to contain five small bags of amphetamine. Samples from Eli’s hair showed he had been exposed to the drug, plus cocaine.
Both Cox and Shepherd denied taking amphetamine. Cox admit-
‘Only they know the true extent of the abuse Eli was put through, which is simply unthinkable to most members of society’
ted using cannabis.
Speaking after the verdicts, senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ivan Beasley said: “Only they know the true extent of the abuse Eli was put through, which is simply unthinkable to most members of society.”
Libby Clark from the Crown Prosecution Service said the case involved complex medical evidence and a challenge in establishing the involvement of either or both defendants in relation to the fatal injury.
She added: “During the course of the trial, it became possible to say Danny Shepherd was the perpetrator of the injuries to Eli, including the assault which led to his death.
“The fatal injury and older fractures identified by one of the medical experts showed very significant similarities. This considerably undermined the defence case that they were caused by another person.”
Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, while young people can call Childline on 0800 1111