A stepmother who filmed her autistic three-year-old stepson as he lay dying from a brain injury has been jailed for 15 years for manslaughter. Leila Borrington killed Harvey Borrington by slapping him “multiple times” around the head, having committed two other attacks in the previous four months which left him with a broken arm and marks on his face.
Nottingham Crown Court was told Borrington lied about what had happened to Harvey, who had severe non-verbal autism, when paramedics arrived at her home in Main Road, Jacksdale, near Kirkby-in-Ashfield, in August 2021. Borrington also delayed calling emergency services after inflicting “unsurvivable” injuries, including a skull fracture, on Harvey, instead sending a text message to the boy’s father reading: “Why does this happen to me?”
Passing sentence on Thursday, Mr Justice Nicklin told Borrington: “You were 21 when the first offence was committed and 22 when you assaulted and killed Harvey.”
