Mother jailed for life for murder of her son

Christina Robinson created a web of lies to cover up the injuries she had inflicted on Dwelaniyah - which consisted of up to 20 per cent burns and more than 60 marks across his body.

Robinson denied murder and four counts of child cruelty but following a three-week trial a jury at Newcastle Crown Court unanimously agreed that the toddler died from fatal head injuries inflicted by her.

Today, she was jailed for a minimum of 25 years.

The 30-year-old called for an ambulance shortly after 4pm on Saturday, November 5, 2022, claiming her son had choked on a cheese sandwich at their home in Ushaw Moor, County Durham, and was not breathing.

However, that call was not made for at least 19 minutes after Dwelaniyah collapsed as her phone history showed she had instead searched how to carry out CPR and called her husband who was away working.

Emergency workers never found anything to suggest there was an obstruction, and this was later backed up by medical experts.

He was rushed to the University Hospital of North Durham but sadly pronounced dead a short time later.

Dwelaniyah was found with significant injuries all over his body including serious burns to his bottom and the upper parts of his legs, which were sustained up to three weeks before his death.

It is believed he sustained these by being submerged in a bath of boiling water, and Robinson never sought medical treatment.

Instead, she wrapped him in bandages she had ordered off the internet, which is where she also sought medical advice.

Medical experts said he would have been in significant pain because of these injuries and a ‘whimpering’ sound was reportedly heard coming from the house for about two weeks.

It is believed the burns were so serious that he would have spent a significant amount of time in hospital receiving treatment and that the recovery that followed would have been lengthy.

A postmortem found that he died from a head injury that could only have been caused by shaking or being thrown against something.

There was also evidence of a second head injury, which is thought to have been sustained a few days prior to his death.

A cane, which was found in the house, was used by Robinson to hit Dwelaniyah and was found to contain his blood.

In the days leading up to his death, the youngster is believed to have consumed some of Robinson’s tablets that were in the kitchen. He later vomited and again did not seek medical help – instead in a WhatsApp conversation Robinson said ‘(Dwelaniyah) will get what he deserves’.

Despite claiming she struggled to leave the house with the children, as her husband had been away for several weeks working, further messages on Robinson’s phone also revealed that she would often leave Dwelaniyah and his younger sibling home alone for up to two hours at a time.

She would leave them to attend her own medical appointments – having recently found out she was pregnant via a sperm donor – and to pick up her boyfriend from the train station.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Turner, Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Aruana at Durham Constabulary, said: “Dwelaniyah was a defenceless little boy who had his life ahead of him, but this was cruelly taken away his own mother – someone he should have been able to trust, someone who should have cared about him.

“We may never know why or what caused Christina Robinson to do what she did.

“Her actions are unforgivable and sadly nothing will bring Dwelaniyah back but at least she is now facing the consequences of what she has done.

“This has been a truly heartbreaking and emotional case for everyone involved, including my investigation team, who have worked tirelessly to bring Robinson to justice.

“My thoughts remain with those who loved and cared about Dwelaniyah.”

Anyone who has concerns about the welfare of a child should contact Durham Constabulary on 101, or 999 in an emergency, your local children’s social care team or the NSPCC.