Alfie Phillips murder trial told toddler was as good as gold

The father of a toddler who died with 70 visible injuries after an alleged attack by his mother and former partner told a court he was "as good as gold".

Alfie Phillips died on 28 November 2020 with multiple bruises and fractures, Maidstone Crown Court has heard.

Sam Phillips was giving evidence at the trial of Alfie's mother Sian Hedges, 27, and Jack Benham, 35, who deny murdering the boy in a caravan in Kent.

He said when he saw his son days before he died, he was "his normal self".

Ms Hedges, of Yelverton, Devon, and Mr Benham are accused of killing Alfie overnight during lockdown in Benham's caravan in Hernhill, near Faversham.

The prosecution has accused the pair of meting out "aggressive, violent discipline", and jurors were told the couple had, during police interviews, admitted taking cocaine that night, and drinking whisky and Coke while Alfie slept.

The boy died with signs of smothering and traces of cocaine in his body.

Mr Phillips, who has two other sons, said he saw Ms Hedges and Alfie on 25 November and other than looking "a bit tired, a little pasty", Alfie was his usual self.

He said he had noticed a small bruise on one of his ears, like a "pinch mark".

The labourer described his son as "lively", and always playing and laughing.

The court heard Mr Phillips's and Ms Hedges' relationship was "volatile" and they had previously lived together for about a year in Mr Phillips's caravan.

In the months leading up to Alfie's death, they were in an "on-off" phase, but still had contact so Mr Phillips could see Alfie, jurors were told.

The court was told how, during their "on-off" phase, Mr Phillips thought Ms Hedges was staying at her father and grandmother's house when she and Alfie did not stay with him, but he had suspicions she was seeing Mr Benham, who she had met at a Whitstable pub.

Defence counsel for Ms Hedges, Jo Martin KC, asked Mr Phillips if he had ever been violent towards her, to which he replied "no". He agreed she was a good mother who had looked after Alfie.

Mr Benham's defence lawyer, Ian Henderson KC, said when Alfie bumped into things, he would shake it off and "try and go again", and Mr Phillips agreed.

The trial continues.

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