Mother and stepfather guilty of killing boy, 9, ‘dunked’ in cold bath as punishment

Alfie Steele had 50 injuries all over his body when he fatally collapsed in February 2021

Alfie Steele was repeatedly beaten and assaulted, a court heard (PA Media)

A mother and stepfather have been found guilty over the killing of her nine-year-old son at his home in Worcestershire.

Carla Scott has been convicted at Coventry Crown Court of the manslaughter of Alfie Steele and her partner Dirk Howell has been convicted of murdering the youngster, who was repeatedly assaulted.

Alfie was repeatedly beaten and assaulted by Scott and Howell, and was put in a cold bath as a punishment prior to his death in February 2021, their trial heard.

Both Scott and Howell had denied Alfie was “dunked” in the water as part of a “sinister” regime of correction at his mum’s address in Droitwich.

Jurors at Coventry Crown Court heard that Alfie had 50 injuries all over his body, with only a handful likely to be attributed to normal childhood bumps and scrapes.

Medical experts previously told the jury that seven of the injuries to his head and face were likely to have come from four different blows.

On the day of his death, Scott rang 999 at 2.24pm and told the call handler that “Alfie had fallen asleep in the bath”. Howell was not at the house when officers arrived, with Scott later claiming to have found the boy “submerged” and that he had previously “hit his head”.

Alfie was ‘dunked’ in a cold bath as punishment, a court heard (Supplied/West Mercia Police)

Scott, 35, denied murdering her son and told her trial that she had not “belted” Alfie, while her partner claimed to have attempted CPR to revive the schoolboy. He also told jurors that he had not beaten the schoolboy nor attempted to stage a cover-up.

Jurors at Coventry Crown Court took 10 hours and 13 minutes of deliberation to find 35-year-old Scott guilty of Alfie’s manslaughter, returning a majority verdict of 11 to one on Tuesday.

She was cleared of his murder. Howell, 41, was found guilty of Alfie’s murder by unanimous verdict.

The judge, Mr Justice Wall, remanded both defendants into custody to be sentenced at 11am on Thursday.

Following the verdict, Alfie’s grandad, Paul Scott, paid tribute to his grandson.

“Our precious grandson Alfie was a charming, funny and inquisitive young boy whose kindness and cheeky smile was enough to melt your heart.

“He had a unique personality that made him a treasure to be around, whether it was his comical phrases or his quirky dance moves, he knew how to make you laugh and cry joyous tears.

“It fills us with immense sadness that we will never be able to see that same cheeky smile again. Losing Alfie has left a massive void in our lives; to think that we will never be able to hug him and watch him grow into an accomplished young man causes much anguish. We miss him so much.”

Mother Carla Scott and stepfather Dirk Howell have both been convicted (West Mercia Police)

After the verdict, the senior investigating officer who led the case, Detective Chief Inspector Leighton Harding, said: “Alfie suffered the most horrifying physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Scott and Howell. It is unimaginable to consider the fear and distress Alfie must have felt during the events that led to his collapse and death in his home on the morning of 18 February 2021.

“The physical violence he suffered at the hands of Scott and Howell, which involved being forced into a cold bath and his head held under water, caused his death.

“The court heard evidence of a culture of excessive punishment of Alfie by Scott and Howell. Punishment amounted to beating Alfie with a belt and a slider until he was black and blue with bruising. He was often woken in the early hours of the morning and made to stand outside where Scott and Howell threw jugs of cold water over him.

“He was often grounded for excessive periods, made to stand for hours inside and outside his home, food removed from him, banished to his room, repeatedly forced into a bath of cold water and his head held under.

“The conduct of Scott and Howell was nothing less than serious physical and emotional abuse, inflicting the most cruel and inhumane treatment of Alfie.

“Alfie should have expected unconditional love and protection of Scott, yet she deliberately neglected his needs, choosing to prioritise her own needs and relationship with Howell, knowing the cruel treatment he was inflicting upon Alfie.

“Scott and Howell did nothing to protect Alfie and inflicted or permitted the torrent of physical and emotional abuse to continue time and time again.

“Both continued to lie to social services and police to protect themselves from their abuse being discovered, and even confronted and threatened neighbours and members of the public who reported concerns over their treatment of Alfie. At no stage has either of them shown any remorse or acceptance of responsibility for their actions.

“Today’s verdict will never undo the dreadful abuse Alfie suffered but it will mean those responsible for inflicting such terror and pain will face the consequences of their sickening actions.”