A man has been jailed for a minimum of 17 years for the murder of his girlfriend’s toddler.
Craig Smith was found guilty by a majority verdict of 11-1 on the killing of Teddy Tilston, who was found lifeless at his family home in Birkenhead.
The 28-year-old cried and shook his head in disbelief as the verdict was delivered at Liverpool Crown Court over the two-year-old’s death on March 1 this year.
Smith was also found guilty of child cruelty and causing actual bodily harm to Teddy’s twin sister Cassidy at the house he shared with the children’s mother.
Prosecutors said that he had carried out a campaign of ‘extreme violence’ against both Teddy and Cassidy which culminated in the little boy’s death.
A post mortem found that Teddy died due to an internal abdomen tear, which a pathologist concluded was likely caused by a blow of either a punch or kick.
Paramedics discovered a ‘catalogue of injuries’ in the children when they were called to the house in Woodville Road and discovered the toddler lying lifeless.
Teddy was found to have suffered 42 visible injuries as well as a bleed on the brain and an internal injury in the abdomen area before his untimely death.
Smith claimed that Teddy was not breathing after slipping under water in the bath but the court heard he waited at least 15 minutes before making a 999 call.
It also emerged that he had a high reading of cannabis in his bloodstream over six hours after an ambulance was called and the remains of six cannabis joints were found in a rear annex at the house.
Testimonies from mental health nurses that spoke to Smith while he was in police custody highlighted his apparent issues with anger.
Text messages between Smith and Ashleigh Willett revealed that he had dented a fridge by headbutting it during a row just eight days before Teddy’s death.
Willett, 25, was found guilty on two counts of child cruelty and will be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Denn, said: “The death of two year-old Teddy Tilston was a senseless tragedy.
“Craig Smith, as the partner of Teddy’s mum, was the man given the responsibility of looking after Teddy and his twin sister Cassidy which makes this whole situation even more shocking.
“Craig Smith was not previously known to police for incidents of violence but Teddy and Cassidy never stood a chance against his acts of aggression resulting in the tragic death of Teddy.
“The past seven months have been incredibly distressing for those who were close to the children, for the officers who carried out the investigation and the emergency services and hospital staff.
“What has made this whole situation worse is that Smith continued to plead his innocence throughout, forcing all those involved to give evidence at a lengthy trial.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the professionalism and dignity of the police officers, emergency services and staff at Arrowe Park Hospital who dealt with this case.
“No sentence, however long, will bring Teddy back but Smith will spend a considerable amount of time behind bars and I hope this will bring some consolation to those who will grieve the loss of Teddy for the rest of their lives.”