Finley Boden: Parents murdered baby returned by social services

The parents of a 10-month-old boy have been found guilty of murdering him - 39 days after he was placed back into their care by social services.

Stephen Boden and partner Shannon Marsden killed Finley Boden on Christmas Day 2020.

Finley was found to have suffered 130 "appalling" injuries.

A jury found the pair, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, guilty of murder following a trial at Derby Crown Court on Friday.

They will be sentenced at a later date.

The couple were responsible for what the court heard was the "savage and brutal" murder of their son after burning and beating him in repeated acts of violence.

Finley's injuries included 57 breaks to his bones, 71 bruises and two burns on his left hand - one "from a hot, flat surface", the other probably "from a cigarette lighter flame".

He collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest at the family's "cluttered" and filthy terraced home in Holland Road, Old Whittington - with faeces later found in the bedroom.

Paramedics were called there in the early hours of Christmas Day and Finley was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Judge Mrs Justice Tipples held back tears as she addressed the jury and thanked them for their "extremely impressive" conduct throughout the trial.

As she spoke, at least four members of the jury were in tears

Child protection concerns meant Finley was taken from his parents shortly after he was born in February 2020.

But later that year, he was returned to their care through a court order following an eight-week transition, despite social workers asking for a six-month period.

The court heard they worked together to keep professionals away from Finley to protect each other and to cover up serious violence.

This included cancelling a health visitor appointment two days before he died and telling social services when they arrived unannounced that Finley may have Covid-19 and refusing to let them in.

A child safeguarding review into the circumstances surrounding Finley's death is currently under way.

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