Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Miriam Burrell

Alfie Phillips murder: Mother and former partner jailed for killing toddler in caravan

Sian Hedges and her former partner Jack Benham have been jailed for the murder of her 18-month-old son Alfie Phillips in a night of "violent discipline".

The pair were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday over the whisky and cocaine-fuelled killing of the toddler in a caravan in November 2020.

Hedges, 27, and Benham, 35, were jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 and 23 years respectively.

The pair were found guilty of Alfie’s murder after a nine-week trial where a unanimous verdict was reached in under 10 hours by the jury.

Handout photo issued by Kent Police of Sian Hedges and former partner Jack Benham (PA)

Alfie suffered 70 injuries to his body in the overnight attack by Hedges and Benham in his caravan in Hernhill, Kent.

The little boy died with a "myriad of bruises", broken ribs, arms and a leg, and traces of cocaine in his body, on November 28, 2020, the court heard.

Hedges, of Yelverton, Devon and Benham, of Hernhill, Kent, had denied harming Alfie.

Both Hedges and Benham’s sentences are minus 313 days already spent in custody.

In a victim impact statement read in court, Alfie’s father Sam Phillips said: "After the trial we still feel we deserve answers. I will never know the truth about what happened to my son.

Sam Phillips, the father of Alfie Phillips, with his current partner Sarah Merritt, speaking outside Maidstone Crown Court in Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

"I never got to hear him say his first proper words, I never got to have a conversation with him, I was robbed of the opportunity to see him grow up."

Speaking after the sentencing Mr Phillips, said: "They finally got what they deserved. We have got the justice in our hearts.

"Justice has been done."

Commenting on the sentencing, Will Bodiam from CPS South East said: "This is an absolutely tragic case. Alfie was killed by the two people, one of whom was his own mother, who were responsible that night for looking after him and protecting him.

"Instead, they subjected him to a series of assaults during the course of that fateful night, leaving him with devastating injuries that he could not survive.

"Rather than admitting what they had done, they both claimed they were not responsible for the injuries inflicted on Alfie, even though they were both present during the time the attacks took place and could not account for what had happened to him, acknowledging that just a few hours earlier, he appeared absolutely fine."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.