Father of autistic three-year-old boy who died from a head injury as his step-mum filmed him has taken the couple’s young daughter to visit her in jail
- Leila Borrington, 23, has had ‘regular visits’ from her fiancé and their daughter
- She was jailed for 15 years last week for killing her stepson Harvey, three, in 2021
A mother who killed her stepson by slapping him ‘multiple times’ and filmed him as he lay dying from a brain injury has been visited in prison by the boy’s father and their daughter.
Leila Borrington, 23, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday for the manslaughter of autistic three-year-old Harvey Borrington who died in hospital in August 2021.
But Borrington has enjoyed ‘regular’ visits at HMP Foston Hall, Derbyshire, from her fiancé Jonathan Borrington and their three-year-old daughter, according to the Sunday Mirror.
Relatives also said the couple are still planning to get married and the family believe Harvey’s death was a tragic accident.
The boy’s grandfather Keith Borrington, of Nottingham, said: ‘He’s been visiting her and they have a daughter together.
Leila Borrington (pictured), 23, was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week for the manslaughter of autistic three-year-old Harvey Borrington who died in hospital in August 2021
Relatives said the couple are still planning to get married and the family believes Harvey’s (pictured) death was accidental
‘Leila is her mum. She had an engagement ring and they were really happy and planning their wedding. That’s why none of this makes sense.’
Mr Borrington said the family believed Harvey’s death was accidental, in line with Borrington’s evidence given at Nottingham Crown Court.
He added the family were still ‘in shock’ over Harvey’s death but they were just having to ‘deal with it’.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Borrington lied about what had happened to Harvey when paramedics were called to her home in Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire, in August 2021
She claimed Harvey ‘fell backwards’ off a one-seater leather sofa at home and injured himself when paramedics asked what had happened.
But the court heard Borrington had inflicted ‘unsurvivable’ injuries on Harvey, including a skull fracture, and sent a text message to Mr Borrington that said ‘Why does this happen to me?’ after inflicting the injuries.
Paramedics found Harvey ‘deeply unconscious’, ‘unresponsive’ and with ‘abnormal body posture’.
The court also heard Borrington had attacked Harvey twice in the four months before his death which left him with a broken arm and marks on his face.
Borrington claimed his broken arm happened when she was ‘trying to stop him falling down the stairs’.
Mr Justice Nicklin, who sentenced Borrington last Thursday, said: ‘You were 21 when the first offence was committed and 22 when you assaulted and killed Harvey.’
‘During the trial we saw video footage of Harvey playing with his toys and placing items into the dishwasher.
‘Within less than 30 minutes, further video footage showed Harvey unconscious on the living room floor. Precisely what happened to Harvey only you know.’
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