A couple has been handed life sentences for the murder of an 18-month-old child. The victim, Alfie Phillips, died on the 28th of November 2020 with over 70 evident wounds and traces of cocaine in his system. Sian Hedges, 27, and Jack Benham, 35, had denied involvement in the child’s death. The two were given staggered minimum term sentences of 19 and 23 years, respectively.
The presiding justice in the case, Justice Cavanagh, stated in his sentencing remarks that Alfie had endured a “frenzied attack” which inflicted around 50 injuries on the night of his death. Directed towards Hedges, he said, “You were Alfie’s mother and he deserved your protection.”
Kent Police revealed that the murder occurred during lockdown in Benham’s caravan in Hernhill, near Faversham. The prosecution argued that both defendants were responsible for the physical assaults that took place. The trial stretched on for nine weeks and concluded on the 30th of November 2023.
Mr Phillips grieved the loss of his son as he described him as “good as gold” and “lively”. He expressed in court that he had been “robbed of the opportunity to see him grown up”. The child’s grandfather, Mark Demain, stated that Alfie “completed our lives
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