A man who shook his partner’s toddler to death and then told police he had choked on a biscuit has been jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years for his murder.
Christopher Stockton, 38, was in sole charge of 22-month-old Charlie Roberts when he suffered head injuries similar to those seen in a car crash, a crushing incident or falling from several stories in the Darlington family home in January last year.
Stockton, who had moved in with Charlie and his mother Paula Roberts just seven days earlier, attacked the toddler after staying up late playing video games on his Xbox, Teesside Crown Court heard.
On Friday he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years after being found guilty of murder and child cruelty in December. Roberts, 41, was sentenced to four years having admitted to neglect.
The trial heard that the mother was suspicious enough about Stockton that she set up a spy camera above her son's cot, but she stayed in a relationship with him even after voicing concerns to her brother.
Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, told jurors that Stockton "shook or threw him with such violence, deliberately and forcefully harming little Charlie".
Roberts had left the home minutes before to go for an eye test, and Stockton, who was off work ill and who had stayed up into the early hours playing Xbox games, must have snapped that January morning, the court was told.
Stockton rang 999 and could be heard on a recording repeatedly saying "come on mate" and "wakey wakey" to the little boy, who was not breathing.
Stockton was to tell paramedics, doctors and the police that Charlie had choked on a biscuit and that he patted the child on the back and stuck his fingers down the toddler's throat. He died in hospital the next day.
Jamie Hill KC, defending Stockton, told the court on Friday that he had no previous convictions, the murder was not premeditated and there was no intention to kill.
Richard Herrmann, for Roberts, said she had struggled with mental health issues.
The mother wept as Mr Herrmann said: "She has to live with the knowledge that had she acted differently it would not have happened."
Judge Mr Justice Goss described Charlie, who was born two months prematurely and had difficulty communicating, as particularly vulnerable.
He said an injury inflicted by Stockton to the little boy's genitals would have been "excruciatingly painful" and yet neither adult sought medical attention for him, while the fatal blow caused injuries similar to those seen in a car crash.
Jailing Stockton, he said: "You have robbed his family of the joy of bringing up a child and of sharing life events with him. No court can undo the harm you have caused."
Meanwhile he accused the mother of “turning a blind eye to what you must have known was the reality of the situation”, adding: "You remain a risk to any children in your care."
Dominic Tate of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “After Stockton began a relationship with Paula Roberts, Charlie sustained a series of unexplained injuries, culminating in his tragic death in January of last year.
“Stockton had initially claimed that Charlie had died after choking on something that morning, but we worked alongside our police partners to show how, while in Stockton’s sole care, he was tragically subjected to sufficient violence to cause catastrophic head injuries.”
After Stockton's conviction, Charlie's dad Barry Greenwell paid tribute to the “much-loved son and grandson”, whose needless death “has left the whole family with a void that will never be filled”.
Detective Superintendent Chris Barker, who led the inquiry, said: "Charlie Roberts was a little boy who just wanted to play. A little boy who just wanted to be loved. A little boy who did not deserve to die.
"Christopher Stockton's actions are unforgivable and sadly nothing will bring Charlie back but at least he is now facing the consequences of what he has done.”
