Leila Borrington, who filmed her three-year-old stepson Harvey Borrington as he lay dying from a brain injury, has been jailed for 15 years. The sentencing was passed today at Nottingham Crown Court for manslaughter, assault and causing grievous bodily harm (GBH). The 23-year-old of Main Road, Jacksdale, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm to Harvey – an arm fracture, and of one charge of assault, causing bodily harm – where she squeezed his cheeks.
Handing down the sentence, High Court judge Mr Justice Nicklin said the unlawful killing of Leila Borrington’s stepson Harvey Borrington, who had severe nonverbal autism, had a significant impact on his family.
The three-year-old’s death in Nottinghamshire in August 2021 must have been the result of a “sustained brutal assault,” the judge told Borrington.
After Harvey broke his arm in April 2021, Borrington sent texts that the judge said showed “a shocking lack of care and concern” for the child.
At the time of the fatal injury at the couple’s Main Road, Jacksdale, home, Borrington was likely looking after the child alone while Harvey’s father was at work.
Harvey was rushed to King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield before being moved to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he died.
Harvey Borrington died in a hospital on August 9, 2021, after paramedics responded to a call and discovered him “unconscious,” “unresponsive,” and with “abnormal body posture”, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
Diagnosis showed Harvey had sustained head trauma. Borrington was found guilty of manslaughter last month but was exonerated of murder by the jury.
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On Thursday, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter, two years for intentionally causing bodily harm, and six months concurrently for an assault that resulted in bodily harm.
Harvey’s mum testified in court, saying that Harvey was her “beautiful little boy” and her parents’ “little man,” referring to him as their treasured child.
Aggravating factors, put forward before the sentence, included a history of abuse to Harvey by the offender. She failed to protect him, fractured his arm, and squeezed his face with enough force to leave fingermarks on his cheeks. The three-year-old was particularly vulnerable due to his age and disability.
