Alfie Scott, 9, was found lifeless in ‘dark, dirty and dishevelled’ bedroom, court hears

A boy who was beaten to death by his mum and her partner was found naked and lifeless in a bedroom at the couple’s "dark, dirty and dishevelled" house, a court heard.

Little Alfie Scott, nine, was subjected to a "cruel and sinister" punishment regime prior to his death at the hands of his mum Carla Scott and her fiancé Dirk Howell, a jury was told.

A court heard the schoolboy was found at his family home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, on February 18, 2021 and could not be saved despite the efforts of medics. He had suffered 50 injuries and would often be beaten with belts, sliders and shoes as well as being dunked in a cold bath, jurors were told.

It was also said Alfie was forced to stand outside in the middle of the night and have cold water thrown over him during the brutal campaign of cruelty. Scott, 35, and her fiancé Howell, 41, are on trial at Coventry Crown Court accused of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

On the second day of their trial, the first police officers who arrived on the scene described getting there to see Scott performing CPR on her lifeless son’s body. PC Stacey Hegenbarth, of West Mercia Police, described entering the "dishevelled" property and finding Alfie naked in a "dark" and "dirty" bedroom.

PC Hegenbarth said: “There was a boy who was completely naked lying on a wooden floor, a young boy, and a female I now know to be the mother giving chest compressions. She was visibly distressed and still on the phone to the ambulance.

“I do remember her saying words to the effect of ‘he’s hit his head’. I remember it being midday and very sunny, the curtains were drawn so it was very dark in there. There was a large, dirty, badly stained mattress on the floor. No bedding, no bed.

"The floor was dirty and sticky. I think there was a broken wardrobe in one corner. Just very untidy. But I recall downstairs, the living room and kitchen, I would describe it as a show home. It was spotlessly clean. It was the polar opposite upstairs, it was a completely dishevelled property."

The court heard Scott had dialled 999 to say Alfie had fallen asleep in the bath and gone under the surface and wasn’t breathing. But when emergency services arrived he showed no signs of life and was "already very cold" with ‘"lumps and bruising" visible.

PC Hegenbarth added: “When I was maintaining the airway I noticed several large lumps to the middle of his head with yellow bruising. There were some scratches to the side of his mouth that looked quite old.

“She was distressed about what she could see through the front window with the ambulance. Quite keen to know what was going on. I don’t remember her being overly visibly upset at that point.

“She mentioned he’d possibly falling off of his bike the day before with no helmet. The bath was half full with water and the floor was wet. She had mentioned that she had let some water out to get Alfie from the bath.

“She was becoming increasingly anxious. There was a lot more police presence outside the property. She was becoming anxious, asking questions about Alfie. She mentioned about pneumonia when he was younger and possibly grommets that would make him lose his balance. There were no tears that I could see.”

Jurors were shown footage from their police body cameras which showed Scott trying to revive Alfie. PC Paul Pickering, who arrested Scott for child neglect, told how he also tried to save Alfie’s by performing CPR.

Describing the scene when he arrived, he said: “I saw a female with her back to me and a child lying on the floor. At that time she was wearing a black top and black knickers. She too was in distress and a state of panic.

"She was knelt down over a child who was lying naked on the floor. At that point there were no signs of life whatsoever. His body was cold to the touch, he was pale. There was no movement whatsoever from his eyes. They were open.

“I was physically looking at him, however I did place my hand on his chest and there was no rise. I immediately started chest compressions. It was always in the back of my mind, dealing with what we were dealing with, that she needed to be arrested.”

Paramedic Darren Fletcher was one of the first emergency service workers to arrive at the scene. He described Alfie as having ‘post mortem staining’ and that his forehead was discoloured.

Giving evidence, he said: ““I was told that a child had falling asleep in the bath and had been pulled from the water. I could see two police officers were performing basic life support, CPR, the curtains were closed and the room was dark.

“I went to Alfie’s side and there were no signs of life. I did have to use suction to clear water from Alfie’s airway. I was very aware that Alfies face didn’t look normal to me, in the colour of his face. Post mortem staining, it looked similar to that on his forehead.”

Howell, of Newtown, Birmingham, admits child cruelty against other children but denies murder, manslaughter, cruelty or causing or allowing the death of Alfie. Scott, of Droitwich, denies murder, manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of Alfie and child cruelty offences against Alfie and other children. The trial continues