HERNHILL, KENT, England – A mother and her former partner are set to be sentenced today for the murder of her 18-month-old son. The child suffered 70 injuries and traces of cocaine in his body as a result of a night of “violent discipline” in a caravan home. The mother, Sian Hedges, and her ex-boyfriend, Jack Benham, will face life imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder following a nine-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court.
The tragic death occurred in November 2020, when the toddler was found with a multitude of bruises, broken ribs, arms, and leg. It was revealed during the trial that the boy’s parents were drug addicts who regularly consumed drugs in their son’s presence. The prosecution also presented evidence that the child had sustained other injuries prior to his death, with the defendants providing explanations for these injuries.
Witnesses reported that the child was discovered blue and limp on the morning of November 28, 2020. Paramedics noted that it was immediately apparent that the child had been dead for some time. The prosecution argued that this was the time when the child was assaulted.
Reacting to the guilty verdict, Kent Police’s senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Kath Way expressed that the child should have been protected and loved by his mother. Instead, he suffered unimaginable violence at the hands of those he should have been able to trust the most. Alfie Phillips, who would have been four years old now, tragically lost his life to the cruelty inflicted upon him.