The couple murdered 10-month-old Finley during the winter 2020 Covid lockdown
A mother and father have been convicted of the “savage and brutal” Christmas Day murder of their baby son, after burning and beating him “in repeated acts of severe violence” in the days before his death.
Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22, were convicted following a five-week trial at Derby Crown Court on Friday, after the death of Finley Boden.
Prosecutor Mary Prior KC described how Finley had suffered a huge number of “appalling” injuries, including 71 bruises over his body and 57 fractures, many inflicted in the short period before his fatal collapse.
The court heard that just hours after his son’s death, Boden told Marsden at hospital that he was going to sell Finley’s pushchair on eBay before later telling police he only said this in an effort to lighten the mood.
Finley’s pelvis had been broken in two places, possibly from sustained “kicking or stamping”, and he had two burns on his left hand – one “from a hot, flat surface”, the other likely “from a cigarette lighter flame”.
The 10-month-old collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest at the family’s “cluttered” and filthy terraced home in Holland Road, Old Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire - with faeces later found in the bedroom.
Finley was pronounced dead at 3.45am on Christmas Day in 2020 after being rushed to hospital by paramedics.
Later, while visiting Finley’s body in a hospital chapel of rest on January 11 2021, Marsden said: “His dad’s battered him to death. I didn’t protect him.”
Boden had claimed the family dog may have “jumped on” his son, inflicting broken ribs, while a tear to the inside of Finley’s mouth likely caused by a dummy being pushed in was blamed on the child hitting himself with a rattle.
The dad also sent a text message two days before the child’s death saying: “I want to bounce him (Finley) off the walls.”
Jurors heard Finley was returned to the couple’s care over eight weeks by a court order, despite social workers asking for a longer transition.
A report by the family’s social worker had recommended a six-month transition which was ordered at a court hearing concerning the child’s care in October 2020.
Shortly after being born in February 2020, Finley was removed from his parents’ care after child protection concerns.
The pair enjoyed smoking cannabis together, which contributed to Finley being made the subject of a child protection plan by social services a month before he was born.
Money sent by relatives for the children was spent on drugs, with one drug deal witnessed by a social worker before Boden later admitted to smoking the drug in the same room as his son.
Boden and Marsden had denied murder, two counts of child cruelty, and two charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.
