Two parents who told “a series of persistent lies” to win back and then brutally murder their son on Christmas Day have been jailed for life. Shannon Marsden, 20, and Stephen Boden, 28, were sentenced at Derby Crown Court for what a prosecutor described as a “savage and prolonged” murder of their son, Finley Boden, having been convicted in April after a trial lasting several months.
Boden was sentenced to a minimum of 29 years and Marsden to a minimum of 27 years.
Finley died in a cot which was soaked with blood and vomit just weeks after being returned to his parents’ care by a Family Court at their filthy home in Holland Road, Old Whittington, near Chesterfield in Derbyshire.
By the time of his death, the 10-month-old had sustained 130 separate injuries including bruises, broken and fractured bones, and burns, which prosecutor Mary Prior KC told the court on Friday were the result of “vicious and repeated assaults”.
In a statement from a relative of one of the defendants, read by Mrs Prior, they said that Finley had suffered “the most horrific abuse” and labelled his parents as “monsters”.
The relative said: “I thought they had both changed.
“I was obviously wrong and they only showed us what they wanted us to see.
“They acted together to inflict all his injuries and then hide him away and allow him to die in such an awful way.”
They added: “Neither of you have shown any remorse.
“We as a family have grieved, but you haven’t needed to, as you are both responsible for his death.
“We will never forget, or forgive, you both, and we will never forget Finley.
“While we will never forget Finley, I promise, we will forget you both.
“I can only describe you both as monsters for what you have done.”
Defending Marsden, Andrew Vout KC said she was the “secondary party” to the murder of her son and referenced texts sent by Marsden to family members expressing concern over Finley’s welfare and Boden’s domestic abuse, as well as searches for emergency accommodation made before Finley died.
He said: “It is plain in my submission that Miss Marsden’s feelings for Mr Boden ultimately overrode all else and I must accept that these were choices that she herself made, that the evidence in my submission clearly demonstrates that she was covering for Mr Boden because she was in his thrall.”
He said: “It is plain in my submission that Miss Marsden’s feelings for Mr Boden ultimately overrode all else and I must accept that these were choices that she herself made, that the evidence in my submission clearly demonstrates that she was covering for Mr Boden because she was in his thrall.”
Simon Kealey KC, defending Boden, said the crime “does not meet the criteria” to merit a whole life tariff.
He added: “This is not a case in which the parents sought the return of Finley in order to carry out his killing. The underlying motivation was to reunite his family.”
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