Leila Borrington: Woman jailed for killing three-year-old stepson

A pistillate who killed her disabled three-year-old stepson and filmed him arsenic helium laic dying has been fixed a 15-year situation sentence.

Harvey Borrington died from caput injuries including a fractured skull and a bleed connected the brain.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Harvey was non-verbally autistic and could not archer his parent helium was being abused.

The prosecution said the 23-year-old struck Harvey respective times to the caput astatine her location successful Nottinghamshire successful August 2021.

She past filmed him lying unconscious connected the level and sent the video to Harvey's father, with a substance saying: "Why does this hap to me?"

She did truthful earlier she called 999 for an ambulance, and past lied to paramedics erstwhile they arrived, claiming Harvey had fallen and deed his head.

Harvey's biologic mother, Katie Holroyd, cried arsenic she told the court: "To this time I can't carnivore to deliberation of him lying connected that level with him dying and her filming him, delaying getting aesculapian assistance for him."

The video, changeable connected Borrington's phone, showed her taking Harvey's near arm, lifting it up and letting it driblet loosely to the floor.

She past continued to movie arsenic helium laic not moving connected the surviving country floor.

Borrington assaulted Harvey astatine her location successful Main Road, Jacksdale, which she shared with Harvey's father.

She inflicted the fatal injuries connected 7 August 2021 and helium died successful infirmary 2 days later.

The tribunal heard Harvey was killed pursuing a past of maltreatment by Borrington.

Jonas Hankin KC, prosecuting, said Harvey's property and disablement made him vulnerable, which were aggravating features.

"He was severely non-verbally autistic," Mr Hankin said.

"His challenging behaviour demanded greater empathy and kindness from his carers. It cannot warrant the defendant's offending successful immoderate way."

Borrington told the proceedings she had ne'er harmed Harvey, maintaining helium had fallen disconnected a sofa and banged his head.

However, an adept witnesser called by the prosecution said she believed Harvey had died arsenic a effect of "direct blunt unit trauma", sustained aft Borrington assaulted the youngster.

Sentencing Borrington, Mr Justice Nicklin told her: "Precisely what happened to Harvey lone you know, but by their verdict the assemblage were definite that your relationship of Harvey having fallen, hitting his caput connected the floor, was not the information oregon astatine slightest not the afloat truth.

"The jury's verdict shows they were definite you had assaulted Harvey, causing the precise superior caput injuries that led to his death."

Borrington was besides convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm for antecedently breaking Harvey's arm, and battle occasioning existent bodily harm for an incidental successful which she squeezed his cheeks.

She was fixed a two-year situation condemnation and a six-month word for these offences, to beryllium served concurrently with her manslaughter sentence.

He besides said she would service two-thirds of the 15-year condemnation successful situation earlier being released connected licence.

Harvey's parent described him arsenic "my world" and a "treasured grandson" to her parents.

"To person it confirmed that Harvey earlier his decease had been assaulted by Leila Borrington volition beryllium a life-long trauma for me, a recurring nightmare which I volition ne'er beryllium capable to aftermath from," she told the court.

She cried arsenic she explained that her son's disablement meant helium could not archer her astir the maltreatment being inflicted by his stepmother.

"He couldn't archer maine helium didn't privation to spell [to enactment with Borrington]," she said.

An NSPCC spokesperson said the lawsuit "highlighted the vulnerability of young children and those with disabilities, who are wholly babelike connected those who attraction for them and are astatine accrued hazard of abuse".

Dona Parry-Jones, a elder crown authoritative astatine CPS East Midlands, said Harvey had "died astatine the hands of idiosyncratic who should person been determination to attraction for him and nurture him".

Det Insp Simon Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the lawsuit had been "disturbing and upsetting" to enactment on.

"The decease of immoderate kid is simply a tragedy, but determination is thing particularly atrocious astir cases of this nature," helium said.

"As a constabulary serviceman I americium pleased that justness has present been done, but I americium alert that nary custodial condemnation tin adequately bespeak the symptom and anguish felt by Harvey's family.

"My thoughts, and the thoughts of my colleagues, stay with them today."