A little toddler died after his mum and her boyfriend allegedly inflicted ‘aggressive, violent discipline’ during lockdown in 2020, a court has heard.

Jack Benham, 34, and Sian Hedges, 26, are accused of murdering 18-month-old Alfie Philips who sustained 70 separate injuries in a caravan in Kent.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Alfie was seen ‘well and without injuries’ on the evening of November 27, 2020, by members of Benham’s family.

He was taken back to a caravan owned by Benham in Hernhill, Kent, and was not seen by anyone other than Benham and Hedges until shortly before 11.30am the following day.

Jennifer Knight KC prosecuting told the court: ‘Benham was seen carrying Alfie in his arms, who was described as blue and floppy and he was not breathing.’

Benham told police he woke up in the morning to find Alfie by his knee, and that he believed Alfie had died because he had been lying on him.

Benham’s mum, Joan Benham, started CPR and paramedics arrived at the scene at 11.39am to find him with a ‘myriad of bruises’.

‘It was immediately apparent to them that Alfie had been dead for some time,’ said Ms Knight.

‘He was taken to the QEQM Hospital in Margate and was pronounced dead at 12..35pm.’

Alfie died with cocaine in his body, blood and urine samples, and doctors examining Alfie suggested it could have been passive inhalation of crack cocaine or from external contact with the drug.

Ms Knight said during police interviews Hedges and Benham admitted taking cocaine that night, and both said they had been drinking whisky and coke while Alfie was asleep in the caravan.

Alfie also sustained 31 injuries to his head and neck, 11 to his arms, 17 to his legs and 11 to his torso.

Ms Knight added: ‘It is clear that Alfie was deliberately injured on more than one occasion, culminating in an assault perpetrated during the night that led to his death.

She added: ‘Jack Benham and Sian Hedges were in the caravan together throughout the night.

‘Had either defendant not been joining in with the assaults, that defendant who was not part of it would have stopped the attack and removed Alfie Philips from the caravan, and from the presence of the other who was carrying out these attacks.

‘The fact that this did not happen can only be because both defendants agreed that the assaults should take place … they both agreed in meting out some sort of aggressive, violent ‘discipline’ to Alfie that night which resulted in his death.’

Benham and Hedges both deny murder.

The pair exchanged text messages the month before Alfie’s death, where Benham appeared to suggest Hedges bite Alfie back after he had bitten her. Hedges said she did not want to do that.

Benham, who is not Alfie’s dad, called Alfie a ‘cry baby’ and ‘your little sod’, saying he was going to ‘poke him in the ear’ after he turned off his caravan heater, in other messages seen by the jury.

Alfie’s post-mortem examination revealed his death came about by ‘unnatural means as a result of the action of another or others’.

The leading pathologist said the final cause of death ‘is not clear’ and stated it as ‘unascertained’ due to the numerous injuries that could have led to Alfie’s death.

‘He was killed by the assault of others,’ Ms Knight said.

During police interviews Benham said he would never have hurt Alfie and repeatedly said in interviews he would ‘deserve the noose’ if he had caused the one-year-old’s death.

The trial, which is expected to last three to four weeks, continues.

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