Sinister web of lies of evil stepdad who shook toddler to death after months of cruelty

Christopher Stockton shook toddler Charlie Roberts truthful hard that his encephalon moved successful his skull and killed him, but the evil stepfather claimed it was down to a Hobnob biscuit

Little Charlie Roberts had a grin that could airy up a country earlier his evil stepfather chopped his beingness tragically short.

The one-year-old was brutally shaken to decease astatine the hands of the antheral who was tasked with his care. After delivering the fatal blow, the cowardly slayer told a chilling prevarication to screen it up.

Christopher Stockton, 38, was found blameworthy of murdering his one-year-old stepson Charlie successful December and has contiguous been jailed for beingness with a minimum word of 25 years. The thug shook small Charlie with specified unit that his encephalon moved wrong his skull, but Stockton claimed the youngster choked connected a Hobnob biscuit to effort and fell the fearfulness unit that had occurred down closed doors.

On January 12, 2024, Paula Roberts, 41, near her lad successful the sole attraction of her partner, Stockton, astatine her Darlington location successful County Durham portion she went for an oculus test. After Charlie collapsed, Stockton made a 911 telephone and was heard placidly telling the near-lifeless tot: "Come on, Charlie. Come on, wakey, wakey."

Stockton claimed the toddler "went floppy" and started "gasping for air" portion the 2 were playing together. The call-handler talked him done however to execute CPR. At 1 constituent Stockton, who was disconnected enactment ill, said helium would walk retired if helium tried to number the compressions helium was doing connected the tot.

In a sick effort to screen his tracks, Stockton aboriginal told paramedics, doctors and constabulary that Charlie had choked connected a biscuit and that helium patted the kid connected the backmost and stuck his fingers down the toddler's throat. Paramedics recovered thing blocking the youngster's airway and tests aboriginal revealed small Charlie had suffered an "unsurvivable" encephalon injury. The small lad died astatine Newcastle Hospital the adjacent day.

At sentencing, Dominic Tate of CPS North East said: "It is wide from the grounds successful this lawsuit Christopher Stockton murdered Charlie Roberts. After being near successful complaint of Charlie astatine 8.45am, our lawsuit was that helium mislaid his temper wrong that important 20 minutes preceding his exigency call, earlier throwing Charlie with capable unit to origin catastrophic caput injuries."

Charlie, who was 22 months old, had been subjected to "cruel and uncaring" injuries successful the 7 months earlier his death, astatine the hands of his stepfather. The toddler's mother, Paula Roberts, 41, besides admitted a azygous complaint of neglect. The mum-of-five failed to question aesculapian assistance for Charlie successful December and January aft helium suffered injuries to his backstage parts and ear.

His nursery and household members reported noticing bruises and his grandfather, Ken Greenwell, told however the youngster appeared bare connected play visits to their home. He told jurors that his arms and legs were "pitifully thin" and said: "There was nary musculus development. Not what you would expect to spot successful a kid that age.

"Where they basal connected the sofa and propulsion themselves up, helium struggled to bash that. When we archetypal started getting him, helium couldn't truly beryllium up properly. We would person to enactment cushions down him connected the couch. He wasn't a greedy child. He didn't unreserved his nutrient oregon gobble it down, but you couldn't capable him up."

Jurors were told however Roberts installed a spy camera supra his outgo successful September 2023 aft her narration with Stockton "became rocky". She disguised the Amazon-bought indoor camera successful a hanging handbasket aft telling her member she was "concerned" astir Stockton.

Stockton told the tribunal helium archetypal met Charlie connected his archetypal birthday. Asked by his barrister however helium recovered being astir Charlie, helium said: "It was a caller experience. I'd ne'er been astir a kid of that property with my lad being successful infirmary (when helium was young). It was a learning curve, I didn't truly cognize however to look aft him properly, but we started to physique a bond."

He said the narration with Roberts was "rocky" astatine times and claimed 4 months earlier Charlie's death, she suggested Stockton had "smothered" him to halt him crying. Stockton said helium was "upset and hurt" astatine the suggestion. He was besides asked astir an juncture erstwhile Roberts accused him of flicking Charlie's eye, and helium said helium had been flicking a alert distant from the boy's face.

Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, told jurors: "The prosecution accidental Christopher Stockton - and cipher other - is liable for Charlie's death. He shook oregon threw him with specified violence, deliberately and forcefully harming small Charlie. Christopher Stockton was unsocial successful the location with Charlie. In a precise abbreviated clip - for that is each it takes to suffer one's temper - helium indispensable person assaulted Charlie by shaking oregon throwing him with sizeable force. What happened to Charlie erstwhile his parent had closed the doorway connected him was nary accident. Much arsenic it whitethorn person been rapidly and bitterly regretted, it was nary accident."