UK's Most Evil Step-Parents: Killers of Helpless Children in Their Care
These are the faces of parents who have killed children entrusted to their protection. The children suffered terrifying final moments at the hands of those supposed to keep them safe. It is an unimaginable crime, yet not as rare as one might hope. In the UK, multiple step-parents have been found guilty of murdering innocent toddlers and babies in recent years.
Just this week, a man who viciously shook his baby stepson to death after an argument with his ex-partner was jailed for life. Five-month-old Jensen-Lee Dougal was left with catastrophic brain injuries following a violent attack by thug Thomas Morgan. Offering insight into why step-parents kill, a psychologist explains that jealousy, resentment, and insecurity can all factor into vulnerable children becoming targets.
The Tragic Case of Jensen-Lee Dougal
Little Jensen-Lee's smile lit up every room before his life was cruelly stamped out by the man tasked with protecting him. A really happy baby adored by his family, the five-month-old was murdered by his mother's boyfriend in a rage-filled attack while she was at work. Thomas Morgan, 29, shook baby Jensen-Lee Dougal so violently that he sustained injuries experts described as the worst they had ever seen. This week, he was sentenced to a minimum of 19 years in prison.
The killer embedded himself into the family quickly, striking up a relationship with Jensen-Lee's mum, Jordan Dougal, in December 2024 and moving in by January 2024, just two months before the assault. Jensen-Lee's distraught mother told the court she never had any issues with Morgan caring for her baby and viewed him as his step-father. Heartbreakingly, she believed she had found their family.
Her baby suffered catastrophic brain injuries that Morgan sickeningly claimed resulted from his stepson choking on sick and the efforts made to save him. He even feigned sobbing down the phone when he called 999 after a neighbour tried to treat the helpless baby. His web of lies soon unravelled when the prosecution showed the tot suffered injuries akin to those found in high-velocity road traffic collisions or a fall from height.
The trial heard that on the day of Jensen-Lee's murder, Morgan, who has two of his own children, became involved in a 90-minute abusive text message argument with his ex-partner Georgia Griffiths. Seething with anger, he texted the woman even while driving his car with a sleeping Jensen-Lee in the back. After arriving in Clydach, the thug went to buy some weed from a contact and then bought a case of lager and some pasties from a shop, all while the five-month baby was in the car. When they got home, Morgan turned on the TV to watch football.
Jensen-Lee's family will never know exactly what happened between the time Morgan arrived home at 4:30pm and first called Jordan at 5:20pm. The thug was home alone with the youngster and told a whole host of lies about what really went on. But what is known for certain is that the baby was shaken so violently he suffered catastrophic bleeding on the brain, bleeding in the spinal column, and bleeding behind the eyes along with multiple rib fractures. Damage was also found to an elbow joint and to the ankle joints.
Morgan took the infant outside after the attack and handed him to neighbour Hayley Evans, who was first-aid trained. But tragically, it was too late. After neighbours called 999, paramedics spent 45 minutes performing CPR on Jensen-Lee and managed to re-establish a pulse. The tot was then taken to University Hospital Wales in Cardiff, where CT scans showed the extent and severity of his brain injuries.
The next day, his mum Jordan made the impossible decision of switching off her baby's life support machine, and he died in her arms. She told jurors of her heartbreaking decision, adding she did not want to remember him like that when he was such a happy baby.
Other Harrowing Cases of Step-Parent Murder
In an eerily similar case, little Charlie Roberts was also shaken to death by his evil stepfather. Christopher Stockton, 38, shook the 22-month-old with such force that his brain moved within his skull, but Stockton claimed the youngster choked on a Hobnob biscuit to try and hide the horror violence that had occurred behind closed doors. On January 12, 2024, Paula Roberts, 41, left her son in the sole care of her partner, Stockton, at her Darlington home in County Durham while she went for an eye test.
After Charlie collapsed, Stockton made a 911 call and was heard placidly telling the near-lifeless tot to wake up. Stockton claimed the toddler went floppy and started gasping for air while the two were playing together. The call handler talked him through how to perform CPR. In a sick attempt to cover his tracks, Stockton later told paramedics, doctors, and police that Charlie had choked on a biscuit and that he patted the child on the back and stuck his fingers down the toddler's throat. Paramedics found nothing blocking the youngster's airway, and tests later revealed little Charlie had suffered an unsurvivable brain injury. The little boy died at Newcastle Hospital the next day.
Stockton was found guilty of murdering his one-year-old stepson Charlie in December 2024, and in February 2025 he was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 25 years. At sentencing, Dominic Tate of CPS North East said it was clear from the evidence that Christopher Stockton murdered Charlie Roberts. After being left in charge of Charlie at 8:45am, their case was that he lost his temper within that crucial twenty minutes preceding his emergency call, before throwing Charlie with sufficient violence to cause catastrophic head injuries.
Charlie, who was 22 months old, had been subjected to cruel and uncaring injuries in the seven months before his death, at the hands of his stepfather. The toddler's mother, Paula Roberts, 41, also admitted a single charge of neglect. The mum-of-five failed to seek medical help for Charlie in December and January after he suffered injuries to his private parts and ear.
Psychological Insights into Step-Parent Killings
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, explained that 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 does not have the emotional tools to handle frustrations constructively.
Additional Cases of Child Murder by Step-Parents
Elijah Shemwell: Carl Alesbrook, 19, was handed an indefinite jail term for murdering four-month-old Elijah Shemwell in Belper, Derbyshire, in January 2022. Alesbrook, who was 16 at the time, was in a relationship with Elijah's mother India Shemwell and had been alone looking after the baby in her flat. He denied hurting the little boy but was convicted after a trial at Derby Crown Court and was handed a life sentence with a 14-year minimum term. Elijah suffered bleeding on the brain, whiplash-type injuries, and multiple bone fractures.
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.
Sara Sharif: Sara Sharif, a once bubbly school girl who loved dancing and fairytales, endured so much pain and suffering at the hands of her evil dad and step-mother that she convinced herself she deserved it. Weak, beaten, and in excruciating pain, Sara was repeatedly punished and tormented by her parents, who hid her away from the world. On August 10, 2023, police received a phone call from Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, who wept as he told the operator he had killed his daughter. When officers arrived at the silent family home in Woking, they found young Sara dead and alone beneath the blanket of her bunk bed.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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 Harvey 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.
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.
These cases highlight a disturbing pattern of violence against children by step-parents in the UK, underscoring the need for vigilance and support in child protection systems. For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person, or go to the Samaritans website.
