A Peckham man who battered his mother to death and tried to cover his tracks has been jailed for 21 years.
Steffon Hewitt battered dementia-suffering Vanita Nowell, 68, in a “vicious attack” before claiming the injuries weren’t his fault.
The 51-year-old was sentenced on April 16 after being convicted of murder in February.
Vanita moved from Barbados to the UK in 2019 to live with her son.
In March 2020, Hewitt inflicted “significant and extensive” injuries on his mother in what would have been a “painful death”, police said.
Vanita suffered 28 rib fractures, six spinal fractures, bruising to her face, head and body and a traumatic brain injury.
Hewitt called emergency services claiming he’d found her unresponsive on the bathroom floor but she was dead when paramedics arrived.
He said he’d attempted CPR on his mother and that he ‘may have broken a few ribs’.
Medical enquiries showed that the extent of the fractures could not have been caused by CPR.
Detective Constable Nick Stocking, part of the team that led the murder investigation, said: “Hewitt showed no remorse when killing his mother by inflicting significant and extensive injuries, resulting in what would have been a painful death.
“Vanita suffered from 28 fresh rib fractures and six fractures of her spine alongside extensive bruising to her face, head and body. She also sustained a traumatic brain injury.
“This was a vicious attack but Hewitt attempted to blame it on his mother’s constant falling due to her dementia. A combination of forensic and medical evidence proved this was not true and it is reflected in today’s sentencing.”