The mum of an 18-month-old boy has been found guilty of child cruelty and warned she faces jail, after failing to protect her son before he was killed by her boyfriend.
The boyfriend Scott Coombe, a 24-year-old postman from Petts Wood, Kent, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at a hearing at the Old Bailey in February. On Monday this week, October 24, at the same court the little boy’s mother Tamika Beaton, 25, from Borough, was found guilty by the jury after she denied child cruelty.
The court heard how Beaton failed to raise concerns despite being aware that her child was being abused by her boyfriend.
Little Andrew Cawker had suffered numerous injuries before he died and after the trial Detective Sergeant Quinn Cutler, a homicide detective, who led the investigation said: “This is an utterly heart-breaking case where a defenceless child has sustained prolonged abuse at the hands of those who should have been caring for him, resulting in his death.
“Andrew should have been in the place where he felt safe; at home with his mother and her partner. However, over the course of a year, Andrew suffered regular assaults at the hands of Scott Coombe culminating in the attack on 9 July 2019 which proved to be fatal.
“His mother, Tamika Beaton, clearly suspected Coombe was responsible for these injuries but chose not to intervene or seek help. Indeed, when questioned by police she sought to place the blame on another man.
“While Beaton did not directly inflict injuries on her son, her inaction most certainly played a part in his death.”
The pair had started a relationship in July 2018 with Coombe moved into Beaton’s flat and over the course of a year, the court heard how he repeatedly assaulted Andrew, culminating in an incident on 9 July 2019 when the London Ambulance Service was called.
Coombe claimed Andrew had fallen over and suffered a seizure. However, after he was admitted to hospital and examined by medical professionals, suspicions were raised that the injuries sustained could not have been accidental.
Andrew never regained consciousness and died in hospital on 23 July 2019.
Coombe was arrested on suspicion of GBH and following Andrew’s death he was further arrested on suspicion of murder.
A post-mortem examination concluded Andrew had died as a result of a head injury but a number of other bruises were found around his face and shoulder. The pathologist remarked that given the level of injuries, the account given by Coombe as to how they were sustained was ‘implausible’.
Detectives examined the phones of both Coombe and Beaton and discovered a series of pictures and messages documenting various injuries suffered by Andrew over a period of months. While some were accompanied by messages with attempts to explain how they had happened, what was clear was that the injuries were sustained while Andrew was in the sole care of Coombe.
As the injuries continued, the court heard how Beaton made insinuations to her former partner – Andrew’s father – that the injuries could have been caused by him while he was looking after the toddler. Police said she repeated these accusations when interviewed, despite knowing that the injuries had been sustained when Andrew was being looked after by Coombe.
The court heard Beaton also indicated that she was aware that Andrew was sustaining his injuries while in the care of Coombe in messages sent to her mother. However, for whatever reason, she chose not to take action but instead allowed the abuse to continue.
Both Beaton and Coombe will be sentenced on Friday, November 18.