Mother and ex-boyfriend jailed after leaving child, 2, with brain damage

A mother and her ex-boyfriend have been jailed after the death of a two-year-old child.

Scott O'Connor, 36, was found guilty of killing two-year-old Kol Page and sentenced to 18 years in prison following a brutal attack at the family's Bromley home in April 2022 that left the toddler with severe brain damage.

Zoe Coutts, 35, was convicted of allowing her child to die and sentenced to 10 years after a jury at Southwark Crown Court determined she had failed to protect him from months of horrific abuse.

The youngster survived for two years following the assault, requiring extensive hospital treatment and foster care, before passing away in June 2024 at the age of four.

Evidence presented during the four-week trial revealed the couple had exchanged messages making light of harming the child.

In one disturbing exchange, when Coutts complained that Kol had been "whinging", O'Connor responded: "Jesus slap him back to sleep lol."

The pair also shared photographs of the boy's injuries.

Prosecutors established that Kol had endured prolonged mistreatment at the southeast London property, with images showing his condition deteriorating over time.

He suffered repeated black eyes and had a patch of hair ripped from his head.

Rather than seeking help, O'Connor and Coutts deceived relatives and friends by claiming the toddler was simply clumsy and prone to "falling off things and bumping into things".

Mr Justice Johnson told O'Connor he demonstrated "a high degree of culpability" and had "shown no remorse, no insight and no acceptance of responsibility" for his actions.

The judge also imposed a five-year extended licence period on top of the prison term.

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As he was escorted from the dock, O'Connor shouted: "For something I didn't f****** do mate."

Coutts wept as she learned her fate.

The judge addressed her directly, saying: "I am sure that you disregarded Cole's welfare over a period of weeks and that you failed to take steps to protect him from your partner, despite the obvious signs of what was happening."

Mr Justice Johnson noted that instead of obtaining urgent medical care for her injured son, Coutts had attended a football match with O'Connor.

Kol's foster mother delivered a powerful victim impact statement to the court, describing how she "immediately fell in love with him" despite the challenges of caring for a child in such distress.

She said: "It was so hard to comfort him, I wanted to cuddle him but it would cause him too much pain. I see him as my child; I may not have given birth to him, but I see him as my son."

The NSPCC described the case as "heartbreaking", emphasising that infants and toddlers are especially at risk because they depend entirely on adults for their safety.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn of the Metropolitan Police paid tribute to Kol as "boisterous, cheeky and endlessly loving", adding: "He should have had a bright future, but was instead let down by those who should have protected him most."

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