A teenager has been handed an indefinite jail sentence for murdering his partner’s four-month-old baby.
Carl Alesbrook, 19, was found guilty of murdering Elijah Shemwell on 11 July following a trial at Derby Crown Court.
Elijah died on 5 January 2022, three days after he was found in cardiac arrest at his mother’s home in Belper, Derbyshire.
The baby suffered “catastrophic” brain injuries after being shaken by Alesbrook, who was 16 at the time. He had only met Elijah’s mother India Shemwell seven weeks earlier.
Elijah also had whiplash-type injuries, limb and rib fractures, as well as 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach consistent with grip marks, jurors at Derby Crown Court were told.
Medical evidence presented to the trial suggested Elijah had been shaken on at least three separate occasions, including New Year’s Day and the day he was taken to hospital.
Alesbrook, from Matlock in Derbyshire, denied causing any harm to the child but was unanimously convicted of both murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent after a five-week trial in July. He was handed a minimum term of 14 years, minus the time he has already served.
Alesbrook had sent a Snapchat message to Shemwell calling Elijah a “c***” just days before he suffered a cardiac arrest.
He denied in court he was “unduly angered or irritated” by the child.
He also denied that a toothache caused him to “lose his temper” or that he was “jealous” of Shemwell’s relationship with the baby’s father.
Shemwell, the baby’s now 24-year-old mother, was working away from home when Alesbrook shook Elijah.
She was also sentenced today – to three years in prison – after admitting two counts of child cruelty, including the fact that she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
The day before Elijah was rushed to hospital, she had sent a video of him unresponsive with a floppy arm to friends on Facebook and had asked for their advice on his condition.
Jurors were told the mother also filmed video of Elijah struggling to breathe before she dialled 999 at 10.33pm on 2 January.
During her ex-partner’s trial, Shemwell was described as a “thoroughly inadequate mother” who neglected Elijah but she was not accused of causing any injuries.
She cried in the dock as the videos of Elijah appearing “lifeless” were played to the court during the sentencing hearing.
Shemwell’s defence lawyer Darron Whitehead said: “She knows she has let down her son, she knows she has let herself down, and she has let down her family.
“It is her inactivity, it’s her failings, that will haunt her for the rest of her life. She misses Elijah and no matter what is said in this room, or in writing, she loved her son.”
A victim impact statement by Shemwell’s mother, Rachel Shemwell, read to the court by Ms Marshall, said her daughter was “not the best of mums” and things could have “turned out differently” if she had asked for help.
She wrote: “We will never get Elijah back and can only remember the happiness he brought us in his short life.”
Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said: “The effect of Eli’s death on those who loved him is evident. Nothing this court can do will assuage their overwhelming sense of loss.”
Detective Chief Inspector Greg McGill, who led the investigation into Elijah’s death, said: “While a child himself, even a teenager knows the fatal risks posed by shaking a four-month-old baby boy.
“The force used to squeeze his tiny body broke his ribs – while the shaking caused such significant damage that his brain became starved of oxygen leading to his death.
“While India was quite simply an appalling mother, she could never have foreseen the brutal actions of Alesbrook.
“However, it is quite clear that she could and should have taken far better care of Elijah and she will have to live with the consequences of both her action and inaction for the rest of her life.”
