A woman’s ex-boyfriend has been jailed for the manslaughter of her young son, while she was imprisoned for allowing the death of her child.
Kol Page was subjected to escalating violence while in the couple’s care in April 2022.
He died, aged four, in June 2024 as a result of his injuries.
Scott O’Connor, 36, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Friday to 18 years’ imprisonment and a five-year extended licence period.
Kol’s mother Zoe Coutts, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors earlier said that Kol’s “catastrophic” injuries were of the force “seen in a serious road traffic accident or a fall from a height onto a hard object”.
Jurors cleared the couple of murder but convicted Coutts of causing or allowing the death of a child, and O’Connor, her boyfriend at the time, of manslaughter.
The Honourable Mr Justice Johnson said O’Connor had carried out a “deliberate intentional assault” on an “innocent and defenceless two-year-old boy”.
Sentencing O’Connor, the judge told him: “You struck a two-year-old child with sufficient force to tear internal tissues and cause catastrophic bleeding.
“You have shown no remorse, no insight and no acceptance of responsibility.”
While being led away after being jailed, O’Connor shouted: “For something I didn’t f****** do mate.”
The judge said Coutts, who wept as she was being sentenced, “did not directly inflict the violence” but told her she “failed to take steps to protect him (Kol) from your partner despite the obvious signs of what was happening”.
Sentencing Coutts, the judge told her: “You must have known that the injuries were inflicted by Scott O’Connor.
“Instead of protecting Kol from O’Connor, you continued to live with him.
“Instead of taking Kol to receive the medical attention that he so obviously needed, you went to watch a football match with Scott O’Connor.”
The judge told the pair: “Each of you continues to deny responsibility, each blames the other.
“Neither of you has shown any remorse.”
Kol suffered bruising of an escalating severity and was photographed with two black eyes on April 9 2022, with medical experts telling jurors during the trial that the bruising was likely from two punches.
Prosecutor Ed Vickers KC said the couple went to a football match rather than seek medical assistance for the bruised toddler.
During the trial, jurors were shown text messages between the couple, who met on dating app Bumble, including an exchange on the morning of April 20 2022.
In the exchange, Coutts messaged O’Connor to say Kol had been “whinging”, and O’Connor replied saying: “Jesus slap him back to sleep lol”.
Emergency services were called on April 25 2022, and Kol was taken to hospital where he had surgery and three injuries to the small bowel were seen.
Prosecutors said the injuries were caused by significant force to the abdomen, as the result of a punch, kick or stamp.
Kol suffered internal bleeding as a result of his injuries leading to cardiac arrest which resulted in severe brain damage.
His injuries were so severe that doctors could not give him enough medication to take away his pain without risking causing his death and he died just over two years later after being cared for by foster parents.
In a victim impact statement, Kol’s foster parents described how he was so badly injured they initially moved into the hospital to look after him.
Kol’s foster mother said he was “in so much pain” and that she “stayed up night after night caring for him”.
Charles Langley KC, mitigating for Coutts, said it was O’Connor “who caused all the injuries to Kol”.
Michael Turner KC, mitigating for O’Connor, said he had a “momentarily loss of control” and there was no intention to kill Kol.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, whose homicide team led the investigation, said: “Kol was an innocent little boy who suffered horrific abuse in the place where he should have been safest – at home with his mother.
“Coutts and her boyfriend, O’Connor, tried to deceive paramedics, doctors and police officers, repeating lie after lie about how Kol came to be so seriously injured.
“Kol was boisterous, cheeky and endlessly loving to everyone who knew him. He should have had a bright future, but was instead let down by those who should have protected him most.”
Richard Murrison, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Kol was a little boy who deserved to be safe, loved, and protected.
“That he was so catastrophically failed by the very people who should have cared for him most is something that will stay with everyone who has been involved in this case.
“Scott O’Connor subjected Kol to a campaign of abuse so severe that it ultimately cost him his life. His own mother, Zoe Coutts, did nothing to protect him, stop the abuse, or report what was happening.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said it was a “heartbreaking case” and “Kol was subjected to sustained violence that caused catastrophic injuries and ultimately led to his death”.
They added: “Babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they are completely reliant on the adults around them for care and protection. Also, there may be no regular involvement with professionals if parents or carers choose to care for their children at home and keep others away.
“We all have a part to play in keeping children safe, and sometimes that means asking difficult questions and thinking the unthinkable. We all need to challenge things that don’t seem right and share our worries with those who can intervene.
“Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare or safety can contact the NSPCC’s free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]. People should call the police on 999 if a child is in immediate danger.”
