The killers of nine-year-old Alfie Steele, who was repeatedly tortured before being found dead in a cold bath, have been jailed for life.
Alfie's mother Carla Scott has been jailed for 27 years and her partner Dirk Howell has been ordered to serve at least 32 years in prison.
The youngster died on February 18, 2021 after being found with 50 injuries all over his body, having been hit with a leather belt and “dunked” in the bath at his home in Droitwich, Worcestershire.
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Scott, 35, was found guilty earlier this week of manslaughter and child cruelty, while 41-year-old Howell was convicted of murder.
Passing sentence on the pair at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Wall told them: “You have both refused to tell the truth about the day of Alfie’s death, preferring to lie to pretend that it was no more than a tragic accident and to cover up for one another."
He said it was clear that Alfie "did not have the quiet death you tried to portray". The couple had lied that Alfie had had an epileptic fit and gently fell asleep in the bath, the court heard.
But the judge told the court that the child's death had in fact been "violent and brutal". The couple had decided to torture Alfie on the day of his death, the judge said.
Alfie was denied food as an act of cruelty and routinely subjected to other “sinister” punishments, including being locked outside his Vashon Drive home in cold weather, and made to stand in a statue-like pose, the six-week trial was told.
Alfie died either through drowning, concussive head trauma or mechanical asphyxia - but doctors were unable to determine which it was, the court heard. “Whatever the mechanics of his death, the true cause of his death was your cruel and unlawful conduct towards him," Mr Justice Wall said.
The court also heard that Alfie, who was found lifeless with a body temperature of 23C, may have been put back in a warm bath as the couple tried to pass off the murder as an accidental drowning.
The judge told Howell: "Some of your actions can only properly be described as sadistic. I am sure you got pleasure from inflicting pain."
Alfie’s mother was ordered to serve half of a six-year sentence for cruelty committed over an 18-month period, with a further consecutive 21-year sentence, of which she must serve at least two-thirds in custody, for manslaughter. She appeared to become emotional in the dock as she was told the overall effect of the sentence was that she would serve at least 17 years in prison.
A multi-agency review is underway into social services and police contact with Howell and Scott, after it emerged several 999 calls made by neighbours in April, May and August 2020 had supplied details of Alfie’s ordeal.
The court heard that in a 999 call made six months before Alfie was killed, a neighbour told police: “It sounds like my neighbours are doing something bad to their kid in the bath. Like they are really hurting them. It sounds like someone thrashing around in the bathtub." The neighbour said it sounded like "he’s being hit and held under the water or something".
The call was played to jurors, along with further audio of an emergency call in 2020 in which a concerned resident told the operator “something strange is going on”.
Another piece of evidence put before the jury was a video filmed by a neighbour in August 2019, recording Alfie’s voice as he pleaded to be allowed back into his home for around 25 minutes.
Following the sentencing, West Mercia Police Detective Chief Inspector Leighton Harding spoke to reporters outside Coventry Crown Court. He said: “We are aware that the family were known to West Mercia Police and other agencies prior to Alfie’s death.
"The jury heard evidence of 999 calls from neighbours and reports from other people regarding concerns over Scott and Howell’s conduct and treatment of Alfie, which led to police and other agencies having contact and involvement with the family in the months before Alfie’s death."
He added: “I recognise the concerns and questions this raises. I can provide assurance that West Mercia Police is committed to reviewing its involvement with the family and engagement with other agencies through a child safeguarding practice review commissioned by Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership.
We are committed to learning the lessons from Alfie’s tragic death and will fully engage with the review.”
DCI Harding said he was pleased that justice had been done for Alfie, adding: “Our thoughts firmly remain with his family, friends and all who knew him and truly loved him.”
The officer said: "The jury heard evidence of a culture of abuse, cruelty and torture by Scott and Howell.
“Torture amounted to repeated beatings with a belt causing extensive bruising. He was often woken in the early hours of the morning and forced to stand outside where Scott and Howell threw jugs of cold water over him.
“He was grounded for excessive periods, made to stand for hours inside and outside his home. He had food removed or withheld from him, (was) banished to his room, and most distressingly he was forced into a bath of cold water and his head forcibly held under.
“Alfie should have expected unconditional love and protection from Scott yet she deliberately neglected his needs, choosing to prioritise her own needs and her relationship with Howell. The lies they told to children’s services, school and police were intended to protect themselves and prevent the abuse they were inflicting on Alfie from being discovered.”
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