Teen found guilty of murder after causing 'catastrophic' brain injury to shaken baby

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A teenager has been found guilty of murder after shaking his partner’s four-month-old baby to death when he was aged 16. Carl Alesbrook, now 19, caused bleeding on the brain, whiplash-type injuries and multiple bone fractures to Elijah Shemwell.The horrific incident came just seven weeks after he met the child’s mother, India Shemwell, in November 2021.

Alesbrook, of Matlock in Derbyshire, denied causing any harm to Elijah but was unanimously convicted of both murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent by the jury at Derby Crown Court on Thursday.Medical evidence presented to a five-week-trial showed Elijah suffered brain damage from being shaken on at least three separate occasions, including New Year’s Day and January 2, 2022.

He also had 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach, consistent with grip marks, and suffered rib and limb fractures, while his fatal head injuries were described in court as “catastrophic”.Alesbrook told the court that he looked after Elijah alone while Shemwell was working away from her home in Belper, Derbyshire.The court was told that days before Elijah was rushed to hospital on January 2, Alesbrook sent a Snapchat message to Shemwell calling her baby a “c***”, but he denied being “unduly angered or irritated” by the child.Shemwell, who was aged 21 at the time but is now 23, has admitted to two counts of child cruelty, including the fact that she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.The court heard she sent a video of Elijah unresponsive with a floppy arm to friends on Facebook to ask for advice on his condition on January 1.