Man who shook his partner's toddler to death jailed for at least 25 years

A man who shook his partner's toddler to death after staying up late playing video games has been jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years.

Paula Roberts left her son Charlie, aged one year and 10 months, in the care of her partner Christopher Stockton at her Darlington home while she went for an eye test, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Within minutes of her leaving, Stockton called 999 to report the toddler had gone "floppy".

Stockton, 38, who is not Charlie's father, was convicted of the boy's murder and child cruelty in December.

Roberts, having initially denied a child cruelty charge, eventually admitted neglecting her son by failing to get Charlie medical treatment for bruising caused by Stockton over several weeks.

During the police investigation into Charlie's death, detectives uncovered a series of photographs on Roberts' phone which showed him with bruises and injuries to different parts of his body.

Several messages on her phone stated she would seek medical help for her boy - but she never did.

She was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday.

The court heard Roberts was suspicious enough about Stockton that she set up a spy camera above her son's cot.

But the 41-year-old stayed in a relationship with him, even after she voiced her concerns about Stockton to her brother.

Stockton, who had moved in with Roberts and Charlie just seven days earlier, was in sole charge of the boy on 12 January 2024.

He was off work ill and had stayed up into the early hours playing Xbox games, and must have snapped that morning, the court was told.

Stockton inflicted a severe head injury on Charlie which caused widespread bleeding on the brain. The toddler died in hospital the next day.

Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, told jurors Stockton "shook or threw him with such violence, deliberately and forcefully harming little Charlie".

Stockton rang 999 and could be heard on a recording repeatedly saying "come on mate" and "wakey wakey" to Charlie, who was not breathing.

He was to tell paramedics, doctors and the police that Charlie had choked on a biscuit and that he patted the child on the back and stuck his fingers down the toddler's throat.

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