A postman who killed his girlfriend’s 18-month-old son after a series of assaults has been jailed for nine years. Devout Christian Scott Coombe repeatedly caused bruises and minor injuries to Andrew Cawker before losing “control” and killing him on July 22 2019.
The 24-year-old, of Petts Wood, south-east London, had been “besotted” with the child’s mother Tamika Beaton but struggled to cope, the Old Bailey heard.
Initially, the couple had wrongly blamed Andrew’s injuries on his father Ben Cawker and on the child’s “clumsy” nature.
Baby Andrew died after he was vigorously shaken and thrown by Coombe, who had become “irritated” with caring for him while Beaton attended a dance class in July 2019.
He never regained consciousness after his head hit the floor and he died in hospital two weeks later.
Following his death, Coombe even claimed he had raised concern with his brother, who was a serving police officer.
Last year, Coombe admitted manslaughter and child cruelty relating to three earlier incidents of assault or mistreatment.
Beaton, 25, from Peckham, south-east London, was found guilty of child cruelty by wilful neglect following a trial.
On Friday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC jailed Coombe at the Old Bailey for nine years.
He sentenced Beaton to 12 months in custody suspended for 18 months.
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