Man found guilty of murdering Darlington toddler
38 year old Christopher Stockton had been on trial at Teesside crown court - over the death of Charlie Roberts back in January
Last updated 10th Dec 2024
A Darlington man who caused fatal injuries to his partner’s infant son has been convicted of his murder at Teesside Crown Court today.
Christopher Stockton, 38, of Neasham Road, Darlington, was found guilty after trial of the murder of 22-month-old Charlie Roberts. He was also found guilty of a further charge of child cruelty, for injuries caused to Charlie in the months before his death. His then partner, Paula Roberts, 41, of Close Street, Darlington had previously pleaded guilty to child neglect after failing to act over a number of historic injuries sustained by Charlie.
In January of this year, Charlie had been left in the sole care of Stockton by Roberts, who was leaving for work from the home they shared in Frosterly Drive, Darlington. Within less than 20 minutes, Stockton was calling emergency services and falsely claiming that Charlie was unable to breathe after choking on something.
An ambulance crew attended the scene and transported Charlie to Newcastle’s RVI Hospital. Scans taken there revealed that Charlie had suffered major bleeding in his brain, from which he tragically died the following day. Stockton and Roberts were arrested at the scene.
Paula Roberts was suspicious enough about her boyfriend Christopher Stockton's treatment of her son Charlie that she set up a spy camera above his cot.
But she stayed in a relationship with the 38-year-old for months after she had voiced her concerns about her lover to her brother.
Having initially denied a child cruelty charge, Roberts was to eventually admit neglecting her son by failing to get medical treatment for him for painful injuries he suffered in the month before he was killed.
Nicholas Lumley KC, prosecuting, told jurors: "The prosecution say that Christopher Stockton - and nobody else - is responsible for Charlie's death; that he shook or threw him with such violence, deliberately and forcefully harming little Charlie."
The mother had left the home minutes before to go for an eye test and Stockton, who was off work ill and who had stayed up into the early hours playing Xbox games, must have snapped that January morning at the family home in Darlington.
Stockton rang 999 and could be heard on a recording repeatedly saying "come on mate" and "wakey wakey" to the little boy, who was not breathing.
The call-handler talked him through how to perform CPR and at one point Stockton said he would pass out if he tried to count the compressions he was doing on the toddler.
Stockton 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.
Stockton said Charlie became "floppy" and so he called 999.
The toddler died in hospital the next day.
Roberts pleaded guilty to neglect during the trial.
She admitted failing to seek medical help for her little boy in December and January after he suffered injuries to his private parts and to his ear.
Jurors were told that Charlie suffered bruising in the months before his death.
In the August, five months prior to his murder, Roberts expressed concerns to her brother about Stockton and said she had installed the spy camera, hidden in a pot plant.
Charlie's natural father saw his son once a week and was described by the prosecution as "loving and caring".
Social services were concerned about the little boy's welfare at home with his mother after he was taken to hospital in May 2023 with bruising, but no action was taken at the time.
Roberts tried to explain that bruises on Charlie's ear months later were caused by him resting on his toy box while he was sleep-walking or from falling out of bed.
Dr Deborah Stalker, an expert paediatrician and specialist in child protection, studied photos of Charlie while was alive, medical experts and post-mortem images.
She told the jury she did not believe that Charlie suffered a bruised ear while sleep-walking.
She said: "In my opinion, this is a non-accidental injury, by that I mean it is a purposefully-inflicted injury.
"Accidental injuries to the ear are very rare."
Outside court, Charlie's dad Barry Greenwell said: "Charlie was a much-loved son and grandson who has been taken away needlessly and has left the whole family with a void that will never be filled.
"As a family we are processing the recent events and are trying to come to terms with the verdict and information given that has been deeply disturbing to ourselves."
Detective Superintendent Chris Barker, who led the inquiry, said: "Christopher Stockton was entrusted with caring for Charlie on the morning of Friday, January 12.
"It was his responsibility to keep Charlie safe.
"He didn't do that. He is the only person who knows exactly what happened that morning but what we do know is his actions resulted in this little boy's death.
"To install a spy camera as Paula Roberts did, means there must have been concerns about him.
"If you have concerns about those caring for your children, you must act, speak out or ask for help.
"Charlie had everything to live for, but his life was cruelly cut short.
"My thoughts go out to those who truly cared about Charlie."
Mr Justice Goss will sentence the pair next month, once reports have been prepared on Roberts.
Stockton was told that a life sentence was inevitable, with the judge needing to set a minimum term.
The judge thanked the jury for their "care" in dealing with this "upsetting case".
Dominic Tate of CPS North East said: “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Christopher Stockton murdered Charlie Roberts.
“After being left in charge of Charlie at 8.45am, our case was that he lost his temper within that crucial twenty minutes preceding his emergency call, before throwing Charlie with sufficient violence to cause catastrophic head injuries.
“Over the course of this trial, the Crown Prosecution Service has also shown the court how a pattern of unexplained injuries preceded Charlie’s death, with the evidence of medical experts clearly demonstrating that those injuries could only have been inflicted by another person. It is also clear that Charlie’s mother, Paula Roberts, failed to seek appropriate medical attention for several of these injuries.
“Our thoughts remain with the father of Charlie Roberts, for who this must remain a particularly difficult time. We sincerely hope that he can take some measure of comfort from today’s conviction of Christopher Stockton over the death of his son.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Charlie’s tragic death at the hands of the man who was supposed to be caring for him is heart-breaking.
“Children, especially young babies, rely on the adults around them to keep them safe, and so are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Stockton’s brutal actions have robbed Charlie’s family of seeing him grow up, and our thoughts are with all those who knew and loved this little boy.
“It is vital that anyone with concerns about a child's welfare or safety speaks out. The NSPCC Helpline is available on 0808 8005000 or at help@nspcc.org.uk."