Teenager guilty of murdering ex-partner’s four-month-old baby by shaking him to death

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A teenager has been found guilty of murder after shaking his ex-partner’s four-month-old baby to death.

Carl Alesbrook was 16 when he caused “catastrophic” bleeding on the brain, whiplash-type injuries and multiple bone fractures to Elijah Shemwell just seven weeks after meeting the child’s mother, India Shemwell, in November 2021.

Now 19, Alesbrook denied causing any harm to Elijah but was unanimously convicted of both murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent by a jury at Derby Crown Court on Thursday.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: “There is only one sentence that can be imposed but part of that sentence will be a determination of the minimum term that you will have to serve.”

Medical evidence presented during the five-week trial showed Elijah suffered brain damage from being shaken on at least three separate occasions, including New Year’s Day and 1 January 2 2022, as well as 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach consistent with grip marks.

Alesbrook told the court that he looked after Elijah alone while Shemwell, who was aged 21 at the time but is now 23, was working away from her home in Acorn Drive, Belper, Derbyshire.

The court was told that days before Elijah was rushed to hospital on 2 January, Alesbrook sent a Snapchat message to Shemwell calling her baby a “c***.” The prosecution also alleged that a toothache suffered by the baby at the time caused him to “lose his temper” but he denied being “unduly angered or irritated” by the child.

He also denied being “in love” with Shemwell or being “jealous” that she was still seeing the father of her child. Alesbrook told the jury he fed Elijah “quite a few times” but that was the extent of his caring responsibilities.

Prosecutor Vanessa Marshall KC told Alesbrook: “Despite your efforts to console him, you resorted to the only tactic you discovered could stop that baby crying and that was to shake him. You shook him on at least two occasions, one of which killed him.”

Shemwell had earlier admitted two charges of neglect in relation to her son, including failing to dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.

Prosecutors described her as a “thoroughly inadequate mother” during her ex-partner’s trial.

Mr Baker excused the members of the jury from jury service for the next 10 years. Opting not to order pre-sentence reports, the judge said of Alesbrook: “I know something of his background, which on any view is relatively sad.”

Alesbrook and Shemwell will be sentenced at a later date.