A cannabis-smoking mother and father have been convicted of the “savage and brutal” Christmas Day murder of their baby son, after burning and beating him “in repeated acts of severe violence” in the days before his death.
Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, were convicted after a five-week trial at Derby Crown Court on Friday, after the death of Finley Boden in the winter 2020 Covid lockdown – 39 days after he was placed back into their care.
Prosecutor Mary Prior KC previously described how Finley suffered a catalogue of “appalling” injuries, including 71 bruises over his body and 57 fractures, many inflicted in the short period before his fatal collapse.
Finley’s pelvis had been broken in two places, possibly from sustained “kicking or stamping”, and he had two burns on his left hand – one “from a hot, flat surface”, the other probably “from a cigarette lighter flame”.
The child suffered a cardiac arrest at the family’s terraced home in Holland Road in Old Whittington, Derbyshire. Paramedics were called to the Chesterfield suburb at 2.33am on Christmas Day and Finley was taken to hospital, but despite medics’ best efforts he was pronounced dead at 3.45am.
Only hours after his son’s death, Boden was heard telling Marsden at hospital that he was going to sell Finley’s pushchair on eBay – later telling police he only said this in an effort to lighten the mood.
Later Marsden, while visiting Finley’s body in a hospital chapel of rest on January 11 2021, would say: “His dad’s battered him to death. I didn’t protect him.”
Boden had claimed the family dog may have “jumped on” his son, inflicting broken ribs, while a tear to the inside of Finley’s mouth likely caused by a dummy being rammed in was blamed on the child hitting himself with a rattle.
He also sent a text message two days before the child’s death saying: “I want to bounce him (Finley) off the walls.”
Jurors heard Finley was returned to the couple’s care over eight weeks by a court order in October 2020, despite social workers asking for a longer transition.
Child protection concerns meant Finley was originally removed from his parents’ care shortly after being born in February 2020.
Boden, of Romford Way in Barrow Hill, Chesterfield, and Marsden, of no fixed address, denied murder, two counts of child cruelty and two charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Marsden told police that Boden inflicted the injuries on Finley, the court heard.
Boden admitted telling police in an interview he may have “rocked” Finley “too hard”, which could have accidentally caused the injuries but said this was never an attempt to hurt him.
“When I used to rock Finley, he used to like it quite fast and strong when we did it but it got to the point where I had to give some kind of explanation as to how it could have happened,” he said. “I felt under pressure to give some type of explanation [to police].”
A report by the family’s social worker had recommended a six-month transition – three times longer than the eight-week period which was ordered at a court hearing concerning the child’s care, in October 2020.
Child protection concerns meant Finley was removed from his parents’ care shortly after being born in February 2020.
The pair, who did not react as the verdicts were read, will be sentenced at a later date.
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