A mother has been jailed for 27 years and her partner has been ordered to serve at least 32 years in prison for killing nine-year-old Alfie Steele, who was repeatedly beaten and held down in a cold bath.
Alfie died on February 18, 2021 after being found with 50 injuries all over his body, having been hit with a leather belt and “dunked” in the bath at his home in Droitwich, Worcestershire,
His mother Carla Scott, 35, was found guilty earlier this week of manslaughter and child cruelty, while 41-year-old Dirk Howell was convicted of murder.
Passing sentence on the pair at Coventry Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Justice Wall told them: “You have both refused to tell the truth about the day of Alfie’s death, preferring to lie to pretend that it was no more than a tragic accident and to cover up for one another.
“What is clear is that Alfie did not have the quiet death you tried to portray: a death in which he had an epileptic fit and gently fell asleep in the bath.
“His death was violent and brutal.”
