The parents of a baby boy who burned and beat him in 'repeated acts of severe violence' have been convicted of his 'savage and brutal' Christmas Day murder.
Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, were convicted after a five-week trial at Derby Crown Court on today (Friday April 14), after the death of Finley Boden in the winter 2020 Covid lockdown – 39 days after he was placed back into their care.
Prosecutor Mary Prior KC described how 10-month-old Finley had suffered a catalogue of “appalling” injuries, including 71 bruises over his body and 57 fractures, many inflicted in the short period before his fatal collapse. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community Only hours after his son’s death, Boden was heard telling Marsden at hospital that he was going to sell Finley’s pushchair on eBay – later telling police he only said this in an effort to lighten the mood.
Finley’s pelvis had been broken in two places, possibly from sustained “kicking or stamping”, and he had two burns on his left hand – one “from a hot, flat surface”, the other probably “from a cigarette lighter flame”.
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