Dad denies murdering his ten-month-old baby son after child found with 130 injuries
A DAD has denied murdering his ten-month-old baby son who was found with 130 fractures, burns, cuts and bruises.
Tiny Finley Boden died from “appalling” injuries sustained at his home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Christmas Day 2020.
Dad Stephen Boden, 30, and his partner Shannon Marsden, 22, are accused of killing the tot – 39 days after he was given back to them by social services.
The pair are alleged to have inflicted 71 bruises and cuts, 57 bone fractures and two burns in the three weeks prior to his death.
Some of the infant’s injuries were up to two weeks old when he was allegedly murdered at the couple’s home in Holland Road, in the Old Whittington area.
Appearing at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday, Boden acknowledged he told police in an interview he may have “rocked” Finley “too hard”.
Simon Kealey KC, defending Boden, asked what the dad meant.
Boden replied: “When I used to rock Finley, he used to like it quite fast and strong when we did it.
“But it got to the point where I had to give some kind of explanation as to how it could have happened.”
Boden told the court this may have accidentally caused injury but was not intended to hurt his baby.
And he denied doing anything that could have caused the catalogue of Finley’s injuries – including fractures and burns.
Mr Kealey then questioned Boden why he denied murder and that if it wasn’t him who murdered Finley, and with only Marsden present, who did it.
Boden replied: “I thought of it, yeah, but it seemed the only thing that was normal at the time was me and Shannon.”
Finley collapsed at home but was tragically pronounced dead at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, his cause of death was given as multiple episodes of non-accidental blunt force trauma.
Back in November, jurors at Derby Crown Court heard how Finley’s pelvis was broken in two places, possibly from sustained “kicking or stamping” shortly before his fatal collapse.
Jurors were also shown images of two burns to the youngster’s his left hand; one “from a hot, flat surface”, the other probably “from a cigarette lighter flame”.
The inside of little Finley’s mouth was “torn”, with Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, suggesting it was caused by forcing a dummy or a bottle in his mouth.
The baby also had a “spiral” break to a thigh which is usually caused from twisting.
And a shin bone break in Finley’s tiny legs was “consistent with being held by the ankle and gripped and twisted”.
The court heard how only hours after his son’s death, Boden told Marsden at hospital he was going to sell Finley’s pushchair “on eBay”.
The dad later told police he only said it “in an effort to lighten the mood”, Ms Prior said.
Giving evidence on Monday, Boden said he “did not want to believe” Finley was dead.
Boden admitted that he continued a sexual relationship with Marsden after being arrested and bailed in late 2020, despite not being allowed to contact each other under their bail conditions.
After being arrested again and remanded in custody in early 2022, the pair sent Valentine’s Day cards and letters to each other, in which Marsden said she would love Boden “forever” and would “always be standing by” him.
Ms Prior told the court that the couple “were, and they remain, in it together” after they jointly and “systematically” beat their son.
Boden and Marsden deny murder, two counts of child cruelty, and two charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.