Nottinghamshire stepmum who filmed three-year-old after fatal attack jailed
Leila Borrington inflicted 'unsurvivable injuries' on the non-verbal autistic child
Last updated 16th Mar 2023
A woman who filmed her autistic three-year-old stepson as he lay dying from a brain injury in Nottinghamshire has been jailed for 15 years for manslaughter.
Nottingham Crown Court heard that Leila Borrington, 23, killed Harvey Borrington in August 2021 by slapping him "multiple times" around the head. She had also attacked him in the months leading up to it, leaving him with a broken arm and bruising on his face.
The jury was told that Borrington, of Main Road, Jacksdale, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, delayed calling emergency services after inflicting "unsurvivable" injuries, including a skull fracture, on Harvey, who had non-verbal autism.
Instead she sent a text message to the boy's father reading: "Why does this happen to me?"
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Nicklin said the cause of the child’s death "must have been a sustained violent assault".
The judge also said text messages sent by Borrington, and her immediate response after Harvey was fatally assaulted, had shown a "shocking lack of care and concern".
He told Borrington: "During the trial we saw video footage of Harvey playing with his toys and placing items into the dishwasher.
"Within less than 30 minutes, further video footage showed Harvey unconscious on the living room floor.
"Precisely what happened to Harvey only you know."
Borrington was found guilty last month of manslaughter and separate charges of assault and causing grievous bodily harm to Harvey, relating to incidents in April and July 2021.
Borrington, 23, who was acquitted of murder, claimed Harvey "fell backwards" off a one-seater leather sofa at home, causing the fatal brain bleed.
Harvey, who spent most weekends with Borrington, died in hospital on August 9, two days after paramedics were called and found him unresponsive.
The trial was shown footage filmed by the defendant moments after Harvey's collapse as he was lying on his side.
In the video - shot on Borrington's phone and sent to Harvey's father - she was recorded taking the boy's left arm, lifting it up and letting it drop loosely to the floor, before continuing to film as he lay unmoving on a living-room rug.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC claimed that Borrington targeted Harvey, who communicated through hand gestures and a handful of words, because he was unable to articulate when he was in pain.
Prior to sentence, Harvey's mother, Katie Holroyd, read a victim personal statement to the court, in which she paid tribute to her son as "the most loving little boy anyone could have wished for".
She told the court: "Harvey's life was cruelly ended when he was only three years old.
"To this day I cannot bear to think of him lying on the floor dying with her filming him and delaying getting medical help."
Describing Harvey's death as a recurring nightmare from which she will never be able to wake, Miss Holroyd added: "We will always treasure the short time we had to spend with him.
"She (Leila Borrington) knew what she had done to him and she could have said so from the start."
Instead, Miss Holroyd said, Borrington had "chosen to lie, no doubt to try and save herself".
An NSPCC spokesperson said:
“Harvey Borrington required love and dedicated care to support his special communication needs and daily life challenges. But instead his stepmother assaulted him on several occasions – the last attack ultimately leading his tragic death.
“This terrible case highlights the vulnerability of young children and those with disabilities, who are entirely dependent on those who care for them and are at increased risk of abuse.
"It also underlines the vital importance of having effective safeguarding systems in place to ensure that no child falls through the gaps.
“We would urge anyone concerned for the safety or wellbeing of a child to speak out and seek support from the NSPCC Helpline, local authorities, or if a young person is in immediate danger, by phoning 999.”