Jealousy, resentment and insecurity can turn an innocent baby ‘into a target’, a psychologist tells the Mirror.
A sadistic teenager has been sentenced today for shaking his girlfriend’s four-month-old baby to death in January 2022. Carl Alesbrook, 19, was handed an indefinite jail term for murdering little Elijah Shemwell in Belper, Derbyshire, while her mum, India Shemwell, was at work.
The defendant denied murdering the little boy but was unanimously convicted, now facing a minimum term of 14 years, minus the time he has already served. His ex-partner and Elijah’s mother, Shemwell, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment at the same court after she admitted two counts of child cruelty in December last year.
Alesbrook was just 16 when he lost his temper with the tot and shook Elijah, causing the youngster brain damage or subdural bleeding and 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach. But what drove him to kill, and how common is it for step-parents to harm children in their care?
It is not unusual for step-parents or non-biological caregivers to “struggle to form strong emotional bonds with the child”, according to criminologist and psychologist Alex Iszatt. She said this lack of connection can lead to dismissal and an inability to empathise, instead seeing the child as “a source of stress or competition”.
Alex, who works in forensics and behavioural criminology, told the Mirror: “Jealousy, resentment and insecurity can turn a child into a target when a step-parent is involved. These dynamics can be even more intense when the step-parent is young, lacks maturity and doesn’t have the emotional tools to handle frustrations constructively.”
In the case of Alesbrook, Alex highlights he was “too young, really, to take on the demanding role of a caregiver”. She said: “At that age, the brain’s ability to manage emotions is still developing, and teenagers are generally known for impulsive behaviour.”
Days before Elijah was rushed to hospital on January 2, Alesbrook – who had met Shemwell just seven weeks before he killed her son – sent her a Snapchat calling the baby a “c**t”. He wrote: “He is being a c**t, he keeps spitting it [baby formula] out. He doesn’t need changing either, I checked 10 minutes ago.”
Alex said: “Carl’s immature handling of frustrations, combined with feelings of competition for India’s attention, turned his relationship with Elijah into a powder keg. His cruel, dismissive remarks about Elijah hint at his resentment and detachment, a disturbing mindset that paved the way for abusive behaviour.”
Elijah’s mother, Shemwell, was described during her ex-partner’s trial as “a thoroughly inadequate mother” who neglected Elijah and failed to seek prompt medical attention for him. She pleaded guilty to two counts of cruelty to a person under 16.
“Elijah’s mother had her own role to play here,” Alex noted. “Feeling lonely, insecure, or simply wanting attention, she likely saw Carl as a source of stability, and perhaps even validation. This need for companionship and a steady relationship might have caused her to turn a blind eye to Carl’s red flags.”
Prosecutor Vanessa Marshall KC told the jury during Alesbrook’s trial that Shemwell had separated from Elijah’s father but “remained emotionally and sexually involved” with him, which may have caused Alesbrook “some understandable frustration at the uncertainty of the status of his relationship” with her.
Alex said: “Like many young parents, India may have been so focused on keeping her partner happy that she issed, or excused, troubling signs that Carl wasn’t fit to be around her son. With the added pressure of her ongoing ties to Elijah’s father, Carl may have felt as though he had to compete for India’s loyalty.”
The psychologist highlighted that in cases like this, the child “can become an easy pawn in an emotional tug-of-war”, and sadly, the one who suffers the most. Unfortunately, these troubling dynamics are not as rare as we might hope, with studies showing step-parents are statistically more likely to harm a child than biological parents.
Alex said: “This is often because jealousy, insecurity, and lack of attachment make it easier for them to see the child as a nuisance or even a threat. Without a natural bond, empathy can go out the window, and frustration can turn to aggression. And it’s not just young, inexperienced step-parents who can become a danger – any non-biological caregiver who feels out of place or resentful in the family dynamic can fall into a similar cycle of jealousy and anger.”
The harrowing murder of baby Elijah puts a focus back on cases where innocent children were killed by the very people who were supposed to be looking after them. Here, the Mirror takes a look…
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was just six years old when, in June 2020, he was murdered by his stepmother Emma Tustin, who subjected him to abuse and torture at his home in Solihull. His father Thomas Hughes, was also found guilty of manslaughter.
The court heard how little Arthur had been poisoned with salt, beaten regularly, and denied food and drink, before eventually suffering fatal brain injuries as a result of Tustin striking his head repeatedly against a hard surface. At the time of his death, Arthur had sustained 130 bruises.
In a National Review into Arthur’s death, set up by The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, it was found that family members’ concerns for his welfare were not taken seriously enough, while police and social workers failed to fully investigate bruises on Arthur’s body.
The report, which urgently called upon the government to strengthen child protection system at both national and local levels, concluded that children in the area were facing significant risks due to failings, while inspectors expressed concern at incomplete police records that left children ‘at risk of significant harm’.
Lola James
Lola James was two years old when she was killed by her stepfather Kyle Bevan, 31. Bevan inflicted “catastrophic” brain injuries on the infant in the early hours of July 17, 2020, while her mother, Sinead James, lay asleep upstairs. The little girl’s injuries were described as comparable with those found in car crash victims.
More than 100 scratches and bruises were recorded on Lola’s body and she also had extensive damage to both her eyes. She died in hospital four days later. In May 2023, Bevan was convicted of murder by a jury at Swansea Crown Court and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 28 years for murder.
James was found guilty of causing or allowing her daughter’s death and jailed for three years. Bevan denied harming Lola and claimed the injuries were caused when the family dog pushed her down the stairs.
In a statement read to the court, Lola’s father Daniel Thomas attacked her mother for failing to keep the infant safe and said: “Lola didn’t just die, wasn’t just taken from me in the worst way ever possible, she was brutally attacked – her tiny body was savaged in the evilest way, she didn’t stand a chance.”
Star Hobson
Star Hobson, from Keighley, died in September 2020 following months of abuse by her mother, Frankie Smith, and her mother’s partner, Savannah Brockhill. Bradford Crown Court heard how Brockhill had subjected the 16-month-old to ‘kicking and stamping’ in an attempt to ‘toughen her up’.
Star sustained several fractured bones and broken ribs, as well as internal bleeding as a result of a ‘severe blow or blows’ to the abdomen. Brockhill was convicted of murder and handed a life sentence. Smith was sentenced to eight years – which was increased to 12 on appeal – for causing or allowing her child’s death.
The National Review into Star’s death found assessment visits were ‘superficial’, meaning that professionals had a ‘limited understanding of what daily life was like for Star’. The report said: “The growing weight of concerned voices speaking on behalf of Star should have prompted professionals to reconsider the escalating risks to her. The fact that she may have been experiencing serious and systematic physical and emotional abuse was never really considered and addressed.”
Logan Mwangi
Logan Mwangi was just five years old when he was murdered in July 2021 after suffering abuse at the hands of his mum Angharad Williamson, her boyfriend, John Cole, and a 14-year-old boy. His body was found discarded in a river near the family home in Wales after his mum falsely claimed her son was ‘missing’ in a 999 call.
Chilling CCTV footage from a neighbour’s security system caught Cole carrying Logan’s body to the River Ogmore while Mulligan followed. The court heard Logan had been subjected to the “most appalling violence to his head and body” and his injuries were the sort found in a “high-speed car accident”.
Williamson was sentenced to 28 years in prison while Cole received a 29-year sentence for the murder. Craig Mulligan, 14, was given anonymity during proceedings but in June 2022 the order protecting his identity was lifted. He was also sentenced to life detention with a minimum of 15 years.
Harvey Borrington
Harvey Borrington, three, was fatally struck by his stepmother, Leila Borrington, 23, who proceeded to film him as he lay dying in August 2012. Harvey, who had non-verbal autism, suffered a broken arm before sustaining a fatal head injury. While he was fighting for his life, Borrington texted his dad moaning, “Why does this happen to me?”
In the video, she lifted the boy’s left arm and let it drop loosely to the floor, before continuing to film as he lay unmoving on a living-room rug. Borrington had previous history of causing him harm, and the court heard she had taken advantage of the fact his autism meant he couldn’t properly express pain.
Harvey was rushed to hospital where he died two days later. In a heart-wrenching victim impact statement, his mum described him as a “beautiful little boy”. Borrington was jailed for 15 years for manslaughter, two years of causing GBH with intent and six months concurrent on the assault causing bodily harm offence.
Sebastian Kalinowski
Sebastian Kalinowski, 15, was murdered by his mum Agnieszka Kalinowska and her long-term partner Andrzej Latoszewski in August 2021. The pair were jailed for life with a minimum term of 39 years each after subjecting him to a campaign of torture.
Kalinowska and Latoszweski beat Sebastian with a bed slat, whipped him with an extension cable and stabbed him with a needle. He eventually died of an infection caused by “untreated complications of multiple rib fractures” at his home in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
During sentencing, Mrs Justice Lambert called Latoszweski a bully: “Like all bullies, unable to maintain respect in another way you sought to intimidate Sebastian who was weaker than you and in Sebastian you found a way.” She added that Sebastian’s mum simply “did not care about him”.
Jurors were shown ‘horrifying’ CCTV footage from the couple’s home, showing numerous incidents in which Sebastian was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on. He was described as a “model pupil” in school, but his mother and step-father claimed he needed punishing for lying and playing truant.
During sentencing, the judge said footage from the day of Sebastian’s death show the teen “moving like a very old man” before he is assaulted by his mother and dragged off by Latoszweski. The judge said: “When next seen on CCTV he is unconscious with no apparent signs of life.”
The court heard Sebastian had been in England for less than a year after moving from his home country of Poland, where he lived with his biological father. His heartbroken dad watched the proceedings from Poland and branded them “ruthless monsters without an ounce of human feeling”.
