Leila Borrington: Woman who filmed autistic stepson as he lay dying of brain injury gets 15 years prison
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NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND: A woman who killed her disabled three-year-old stepson and filmed him as he lay dying on the floor with a severe brain injury has been jailed for 15 years on Thursday, March 16. Leila Borrington, 23, has been charged with manslaughter, assault, and causing grievous bodily harm. She told the court that Harvey Borrington, who was found “unconscious” and “unresponsive," fell off the sofa and banged his head at the family home in Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire, on August 7, 2021. However, the toddler reportedly died because he was slapped "multiple times" in what the judge said was a "sustained violent assault."
Instead of calling for an ambulance, Borrington had filmed Harvey, who was autistic and non-verbal, moaning on the floor to "show paramedics." Medical experts found the young child with a fractured skull and a fatal bleed on the brain which were caused by repeated blows instead of a one-off fall. Several other older injuries, including a broken arm, were also found. "I cannot bear to think of him lying on the floor dying with her filming him and delaying his medical help. My beautiful boy could not talk, he couldn't articulate the suffering he had to endure. He couldn't tell me he didn't want to go. We only know when she abused him then killed him in that violent attack," Harvey's mother Katie Holroyd told the court on Thursday, as per the Daily Mail.
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Borrington filmed Harvey instead of calling medics
Nottingham Crown Court heard that rather than calling 999, Borrington had texted Harvey's father saying, "Why does this happen to me?" when the child was in a state of collapse. She also sent him a video recorded moments after Harvey collapsed which showed the three-year-old lying on his right side and moaning with his arms out in front of him. In the video, Borrington reportedly lifted the toddler's left arm up before dropping it to the floor and continuing to film him lying on the living room rug. Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC said the defendant's lack of attempts to rouse him shows an absence of compassion.
"The lifting and dropping of his arm in that way, similarly, appears to show indifference to the obvious severity of his condition," Hankin told the jurors. Harvey, who communicated through hand gestures and very few words, was targeted by Borrington because he was unable to articulate when he was in pain, the prosecutor told the court. The little boy died at the hospital on August 9, two days after paramedics found him with severe injuries and "abnormal body posture."
Borrington 'lied to save herself'
In a victim impact statement, Harvey’s mother Holroyd said his stepmother Borrington had "lied to save herself." She said: "She knew what she had done to him and could have said so from the start. Instead, she made the decision to lie, which increased our pain even further. I found the evidence given by the two pathologists particularly harrowing. Parts of my baby were removed and sent around the country. No sentence can repair the pain done by this selfish and cruel act."
'Only one person is responsible for Harvey's death'
During a lengthy trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Borrington denied ever hitting Harvey, but she was found guilty of manslaughter last month. Borrington, who showed a “lack of care and concern” for the youngster, was handed a two-year jail term for GBH and six months for assaulting him which she will serve alongside her manslaughter sentence. She must reportedly serve two-thirds of the sentence in prison before release. Moreover, the stepmother was pardoned of an alternative charge of murder. Bearing a total of seven verdicts, jurors also cleared Borrington of three charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
While passing the sentence, High Court judge Justice Nicklin said Borrington had "abused her position of trust," adding, "The jury's verdict shows they were sure you had assaulted him, causing the very serious head injuries that ultimately led to his death. The overall evidence, particularly the expert evidence, demonstrates that must have been a sustained, violent assault. Harvey's death has had a profound effect on those who loved him. There is a history of your use of violence against Harvey. Only one person is responsible for Harvey's death. I accept you were young - but there is no evidence you were immature."