British mother sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering her 3-year-old son

A British woman has been found guilty of murdering her 3-year-old son and will now serve a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.

Christina Robinson, 30, denied murdering the toddler, Dwelaniyah, in 2022, but a jury unanimously agreed this week that he died from the injuries she inflicted on him, according to a statement from Durham Police Press.

The May 24 statement said Dwelaniyah died of a head injury, which “could only have been caused by being shaken or thrown against something.” Authorities also found evidence of a second head injury, which they believed he suffered days before his death.

But the head trauma is just one of the injuries Dwelaniyah suffered at the hands of her mother, police said.

The 3-year-old was also covered in burn marks – more than 60 all over his body – including particularly severe marks on the lower half of his body, which authorities say he suffered for up to three weeks. before his murder.

Authorities believe he suffered the burns while “being submerged in a bath of boiling water” — and that Robinson never attempted to get the toddler treated afterward.

Instead, authorities said she sought medical advice online, as well as bandages, and left Dwelaniyah to treat her burns.

For around two weeks after he suffered the burns, a “groaning” sound was reportedly heard from Robinson's home in Ushaw Moor, County Durham, Durham Police said.

As Dwelaniyah was continually subjected to Robinson's abuse, police said she spun a “web of lies” to hide her injuries, including on the day of her death.

On November 5, 2022, Robinson called an ambulance, saying the toddler had choked on a sandwich and was not breathing. However, no evidence of obstruction was found and Robinson's phone history showed that she waited nearly 20 minutes after her collapse to call for help.

Dwelaniyah was then rushed to a nearby hospital, but died shortly after.

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Other evidence of Robinson's lies and abuse was also found in her home, including a cane, which contained her toddler's blood, police said.

Authorities also believe that before her death, Dwelaniyah ate “tablets” that Robinson kept in her kitchen and vomited them up. Police said Robinson once again neglected to seek medical attention and instead told someone via WhatsApp that the toddler would “get what he deserves.”

Robinson's messages also revealed that she often left Dwelaniyah and her younger brother home alone for up to two hours at a time, police said.

Robinson reportedly admitted caning Dwelaniyah in accordance with her religious beliefs in court, although she denied killing or otherwise harming the child, according to the BBC.

In court, Robinson reportedly told jurors, “I did not in any way kill my child. However the prosecution chooses to say it, however you want to imagine it, the fact is that I did not kill my child.

“I stand by that and I will always stand by that,” she said, according to the BBC. “I pray for the day when justice will be served.”

Speaking about the death of the little child, Durham Police Chief Inspector Simon Turner said: “Dwelaniyah was a helpless little boy who had his life ahead of him, but his own mother cruelly took him away – someone he should have been able to trust, someone. who should have cared about him.

“We may never know why or what made Christina Robinson do what she did,” Turner added. “Her actions are unforgivable and unfortunately nothing will bring Dwelaniyah back, but at least she is now facing the consequences of what she did.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.