A murder trial involving a mother and her fiancé is underway in England. The pair is accused of brutally murdering the woman's 9-year-old son. The prosecution alleges that Carla Scott, 35, and her fiancé, 41-year-old Dirk Howell, repeatedly beat young Alfie Steele, eventually killing the child. The details of the case are both gruesome and heart-wrenching.
Steele was reportedly the victim of physical abuse at the hands of his mother and her fiancé for quite some time. The couple allegedly believed their means of correction were useful and justified in disciplining the young child. The prosecution disagreed, and with evidence of more than 50 injuries on his body at the time of his death, charged the couple with murder.
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Steele was subjected to intense physical abuse.
The Independent reported that in Coventry Crown Court, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC opened the case on Tuesday, with chilling details about the boy's life. She claimed Scott and Howell believed it was "acceptable" to hit the child with "belts, or a slider, like a heavy-duty flip flop, and use other more sinister forms of punishment."
In addition to the beatings, the couple allegedly dunked the child in a cold bath when he was naked or made him stand outside in the middle of the night while throwing cold water on him. Heeley said Steele died because of his mother's and her fiancé's deliberate actions.
Experts weighed in on the boy's injuries.
Heeley said that according to medical experts, the child had more than 50 injuries, and just a handful would be considered normal childhood bumps and scrapes. Steele had wounds on his face, allegedly caused by direct pressure while someone held him underwater.
Scott reportedly allowed Howell to hurt her son.
Neighbors claimed they saw Howell abusing Steele while Scott watched and did nothing to help her son. Heeley told the court that Scott chose "loyalty to her partner" above all else, including her young son.
Social services reportedly became involved with the situation and banned Howell from staying in the home. Heeley alleged Scott "flouted this rule, willfully and continuously," the Independent reported.
The young boy died in February 2021.
On the day of the boy's death, Scott reportedly called 999 (the emergency number in England) for help, claiming her son had fallen asleep in the bathtub. When authorities arrived minutes later, Howell was gone. Scott alleged her son had hit his head before she found his body "submerged" in the water.
"Police noted that Alfie was lifeless already, he was not breathing and he was cold to the touch, so already cold, just six minutes after that 999 call," Heeley said, per the Independent.
Medical professionals found multiple injuries on the young boy, including lumps and bruises.
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Scott allegedly lied about Howell's whereabouts.
Heeley told the court that Scott told police she did not know where her fiancé was and that she had last seen him days before. A police officer allegedly saw Howell just minutes after the emergency call. Heeley said Howell tried to escape the scene by traveling to a train station, where police ultimately arrested him.
"What were they both trying to hide at that point? Their guilt. They knew what they had done and Dirk Howell's first instinct was to run," Heeley claimed, according to the Independent.
Both Scott and Howell pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter, cruelty, or causing or allowing the death of Alfie Steele.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
