A JEALOUS teen who murdered his ex-girlfriend’s premature baby son as she turned a blind eye to his horror abuse has been jailed.
Carl Alesbrook shook four-month-old Elijah Shemwell on at least three separate occasions just weeks after meeting his mum India.
PABaby Elijah was shaken to death[/caption]
His mum India Shemwell had left him alone with her 16-year-old boyfriendFacebook
The baby, who had been born premature, suffered whiplash-type injuries at the monster’s hands – including rib and limb fractures and brain damage.
Alesbrook, 19, has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years after being convicted of murder.
Mum Shemwell, 23, was sentenced to three years after admitting two counts of child cruelty.
This included the fact she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
Alesbrook, who was 16 at the time, had been “consumed by jealousy” over Shemwell’s relationship with the baby’s dad as the pair remained “sexually involved”.
On one occasion, he sent chilling Snapchat messages to Shemwell while looking after Elijah alone.
He wrote: “He is being a c***, he keeps spitting it out. He doesn’t need changing either, I checked 10 minutes ago.”
Days later on January 2, 2022, Shemwell phoned 999 to report she had returned home to find her son “pale and limp”.
After Elijah had been taken to hospital, Alesbrook, who was “high” on cannabis at the time, texted his mum saying he was “absolutely f****d”.
A post mortem revealed the baby had been shaken on at least two previous occasions, which caused brain damage and rib and limb fractures.
The fatal attack caused Elijah to suffer catastrophic head injuries after he was violently shaken.
A pathologist found the baby had also either been hit in the face or stuck “against a surface”.
Prosecutor Vanessa Marshall KC said Shemwell was a “thoroughly inadequate mother to Elijah” but had not caused his death.
The mum would leave Elijah “unattended and isolated” in another room for large periods of time while she smoked cannabis.
Ms Marshall added: “But where her neglect was the most manifest and ultimately led to Elijah’s death was that on too many occasions, she left her four-month old baby, in the sole care of this defendant, who on any view, as a 16-year-old lad, with little, if any, experience of looking after babies, should not have been given such a responsibility.”
DCI Greg McGill, who led the investigation into the Elijah’s death, said: “Carl Alesbrook, for reasons that only he knows, decided to shake Elijah, causing him a fatal brain injury.
“While only 16 at the time of the incident, he can have had no doubt about the potentially deadly force he was using on Elijah.
“Elijah’s final hours would have been unbelievably painful and, as a father, it is inconceivable how anyone could behave in such a way to a defenceless child of just four months.
“While only Alesbrook is responsible for Elijah’s death – India Shemwell was a quite simply appalling mother who was more concerned with her sexual relationships and drug taking than ensuring the safety of her child.
“In leaving Elijah with Alesbrook, a teenager who she barely knew, she abandoned her role as his protector, and she must now realise the consequences of her actions.”
PAAlesbrook has now been jailed for murder[/caption]
PAThe baby had been attacked at least three times[/caption]
He died from catastrophic head injuries
FacebookIndia called 999 to report her baby son was not breathing[/caption]
PAShe admitted two counts of child cruelty[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
