An evil woman who filmed her step son dying on the floor from brain damage instead of phoning an ambulance has been found guilty of manslaughter. Harvey Borrington was only three-years-old when paramedics found him 'unconscious', 'unresponsive' and with 'abnormal body posture' at the family home, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
Leila Borrington, 23 claimed Harvey had fallen from a chair and banged his head but medics concluded that his severe injuries were inflicted by repeated blows rather than a one-off fall. Several other older injuries were also discovered on his tiny body, including a broken arm, the Mirror reports.
The youngster, who had autism and was largely non-verbal, sadly passed away in Nottingham Queen's Medical hospital as a result of serious head injuries. The cruel stepmother was accused of inflicting a serious head injury on the toddler while they were at home along with five other attacks, including one in which the boy suffered a broken arm.
Borrington denied any wrongdoing and claimed Harvey 'fell backwards' off a leather armchair at home which caused the fatal brain bleed. After a lengthy trial at Nottingham Crown Court, she was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury yesterday afternoon.
She was cleared of an alternative charge of murder but was also convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and assault. Returning a total of seven verdicts, jurors also cleared her of three charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In a statement after the verdict, a Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: "Borrington, who is not Harvey’s mother, had been caring for the child at her home in Jacksdale at the time of his collapse. Rather than phone an ambulance, she filmed a video of Harvey lying on the floor and sent it to his father who was out of the house at the time."
Borrington wiped away tears with the back of her hand in the dock as the verdicts were read out. During the trial, Jonas Hankin KC, said Borrington was caring for Harvey alone while his dad Jonathan Borrington, 31, was at work when the deadly injury was likely inflicted.
Describing the findings of a post-mortem examination, Mr Hankin said: "He had suffered trauma to the head. That had caused damage to the brain itself and bleeding overlying the brain which, together, squashed and damaged the brain, ultimately causing his death."
Borrington maintains that she never harmed Harvey and said he had fallen. The court heard that before she dialled 999, the 23-year-old text Harvey's father who was at the cinema at the time saying: “Why does this happen to me?”
She also filmed the helpless toddler as he lay dying on the floor. An expert witness called by the prosecution said that 'the account provided by the caregiver does not explain the extent of the injuries' and added that she believed Harvey had died as a result of 'direct blunt force trauma', which was sustained after Borrington 'assaulted' the youngster.
Other shocking injuries found on his body that were sustained in the weeks before his death included a scrape on his back, a spinal arm fracture and marks on his ears and face. Borrington told the court that these injuries were either self-inflicted and the arm fracture may have been caused when she pulled Harvey up as he tripped walking up the stairs.
During the trial, prosecutor Mr Hankin KC argued that Borrington had 'twisted and turned' her story to suit the evidence. Mr Hankin also claimed that the stepmum targeted Harvey who was vulnerable due to his autism as he mostly communicated through hand gestures and was able to fully articulate when he was in pain.
The jury was told Harvey's biological parents split when he was 14-months-old and Harvey spent the week at his mother's and weekends with his father and Borrington. Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a tragic incident that shocked the local community.
"Harvey was a much-loved little boy who was cherished by his parents and his wider family. As a police officer I am pleased with the decision of the jury in this case, but I acutely aware that it is of no consolation to those left behind.
"This has been a very lengthy and difficult investigation and I would like to thank everyone involved in getting us to this point.” After the verdicts were returned, Mr Justice Nicklin excused jurors from further jury service for 10 years and remanded Borrington in custody ahead of her sentencing on March 16.
Thanking the jury panel for its 'crucial' decision-making, the judge added: “You all now know how critically important juries are to our jury system.”
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