Carl Alesbrook was 16 when he brutally shook little Elijah Shemwell to death in January 2022, less than two months after meeting the infant’s mum India Shemwell.
His barrister told jurors at Derby Crown Court he was ‘very young and very immature’ – but they also heard how he called Elijah a ‘c***’ days before he was rushed to hospital.
Elijah was found to have suffered ‘catastrophic’ brain injuries and several fractures inflicted over the course of at least three separate assaults.
Now 19, Alesbrook, of Matlock, in Derbyshire, was jailed for at least 14 years after being found guilty of murder.
Following his arrest, Alesbrook told lie after lie in a bid to try and avoid blame for Elijah’s injuries.
He was challenged during his interview over claims he messaged police to ask where they were when the infant fell ill.
One of the detectives says: ‘This was a lie, there is no message saying “where are you?”
‘We have interrogated your phone and that is not confirmed on there. What do you have to say about this?’
He replied: ‘F**k all.’
The detective then presses him about his initial claim that he was asleep and unaware Shemwell had gone to the shops before suddenly changing his story.
Asked what he has to say, Alesbrook rests his head on the wall and tells police: ‘I say you’re boring, man.’
The court heard Alesbrook was left in charge of Elijah by the infant’s mum Shemwell, 24, at her home in Belper.
She admitted two counts of child cruelty in December last year, including the fact she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
Shemwell was sentenced at the same court on Friday to three years in prison.
The jury had been shown a video taken by Shemwell of Elijah unresponsive with a floppy arm on January 1, which she sent to friends on Facebook to ask for advice.
Another video shows her son ‘gasping for breath’ before she phoned emergency services on the evening of January 2 and he was taken by an ambulance to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Elijah died three days later on January 5 with fatal head injuries that were described in court as ‘catastrophic’.
Shemwell cried in the dock as the videos of Elijah appearing ‘lifeless’ were played to the court during the sentencing hearing.
She was described during her ex-partner’s trial as ‘a thoroughly inadequate mother’ who generally and specifically neglected to seek prompt medical attention for her son.
Detective Chief Inspector Greg McGill, who led the investigation into Elijah’s death, said: ‘While a child himself, even a teenager knows the fatal risks posed by shaking a four-month-old baby boy.
‘The force used to squeeze his tiny body broke his ribs – while the shaking caused such significant damage that his brain became starved of oxygen leading to his death.
‘While India was quite simply an appalling mother, she could never have foreseen the brutal actions of Alesbrook.
‘However, it is quite clear that she could and should have taken far better care of Elijah and she will have to live with the consequences of both her action and inaction for the rest of her life.’
A victim impact statement by Shemwell’s mother, Rachel Shemwell, said her daughter was ‘not the best of mums’ and things could have ‘turned out differently’ if she had asked for help.
She wrote: ‘We will never get Elijah back and can only remember the happiness he brought us in his short life.’
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: ‘The effect of Eli’s death on those who loved him is evident. Nothing this court can do will assuage their overwhelming sense of loss.’
The judge told Alesbrook: ‘There is only one sentence that can be imposed and that is detention at His Majesty’s Pleasure.’
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