Man found guilty of murdering toddler in south London

A man has been found guilty of the murder of two-year-old Kyrell Matthews in south London.

The toddler was found in cardiac arrest in Thornton Heath in October 2019 and had 41 fractured ribs.

Kemar Brown, who's 28, is now awaiting sentencing.

The boy's mum, Phylesia Shirley, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran, of the Met’s Specialist Crime, said:

“This was a horrific case and the injuries inflicted on Kyrell were truly appalling. It is impossible to understand how someone can brutalise a child in this way. This was not some sudden loss of temper - these injuries show that the abuse of Kyrell went on and on. It was during one final brutal assault that Kyrell’s sad, short life was brought to an end.

“Today his mother and her boyfriend had been convicted for their part in Kyrell’s death. Frankly I find it hard to understand how they could have committed such appalling acts on a defenceless child. A jury has quite rightly found both Shirley and Brown culpable for Kyrell’s ill-treatment - they will now face the consequences.

“Investigating the death of a child is never easy, but the scale of Kyrell’s injuries and the fact that many of the assaults had been recorded made this an especially distressing case. My team had to listen repeatedly to the sound of Kyrell being beaten and abused, I know how badly this has affected them. I want to pay tribute to their resilience and their determination to ensure those responsible for Kyrell’s death were convicted.”

Samantha Yelland, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“This was a violent, determined and repeated pattern of assaults against a defenceless young child. Kyrell Matthews would have been in significant discomfort in the days before his death, and tragically he would have died in pain. As a mother Phylesia Shirley should have protected him, but instead along with her partner, she subjected him to countless assaults in their own home.

“Over time we were able to piece together different strands of evidence in order to understand what took place behind closed doors. When interviewed by police Shirley claimed to have frantically made Google searches to find out what might be wrong with Kyrell on the day he died. But in court the prosecution was able to present telephone evidence that showed one of the last searches she had made on her mobile phone was for the central London steakhouse STK. The prosecution case also included evidence from a pathologist who was able to detail the numerous injuries that were inflicted on Kyrell in the days and weeks leading up to his murder – none of which could be accounted for by Shirley or Brown.

“Jurors were presented with harrowing audio recordings of what took place in the home with both Brown and Shirley clearly involved in the physical abuse of the young toddler. I hope these convictions have brought some sense of justice to those who loved and cared for Kyrell.”

Kyrell's family said:

"Kyrell - you were robbed of the life God had intended for you. Our family have been robbed of the joys of watching your grow up and seeing what you would have become. You have left a void in our hearts that will never be filled. We carry you in our hearts forever.”

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