A mum and her sadistic boyfriend have been jailed after her nine-year-old son was killed in a "sinister" campaign of violence.
Alfie Steele was beaten and held down in a bath as a punishment at his home in Droitwich, Worcestershire, in February 2021, prior to his death.
Today his mum Carla Scott was jailed for 27 years at Coventry Crown Court for child cruelty and manslaughter.
Her fiancé Dirk Howell was sentenced to 32 years for the boy's murder.
Scott and Dirk Howell subjected the boy to repeated assaults and would often force him into cold baths as part of a cruel and "sinister" regime of correction, even waking him at 3am, 'marching him outside' and having water thrown at him.
Howell, 41, was found guilty of murdering the young boy and Scott was convicted of manslaughter.
The jury found her not guilty of murdering Alfie. Today, she was order to serve six years for the child cruelty offences consecutive to 21 years for manslaughter.
As they were sentenced, mum Scott remained composed as Howell slumped forward in the dock, with his right hand cupping his chin.
Mr Justice Wall told the 41-year-old: “I am sure that you got pleasure from inflicting pain and discomfort.
“In my judgment some of your actions can properly be described as sadistic.
“The risks of killing him by your conduct were real and obvious.”
He told them both:"I am sure each of you took part in all of these acts. This is not a case where one of you meted out cruelty while one stood back. Each played an active part in cruelty in all forms."
Shouts were heard from the public gallery, branding Scott an 'evil swine' as she was led away to begin her long jail term.
During the trial Prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC claimed both defendants thought it was acceptable to hit Alfie with "belts, or a slider, like a heavy-duty flip flop, and use other more sinister forms of punishment".
She added that Alfie had 50 injuries all over his body, with only a handful likely to be due to normal childhood bumps and scrapes.
The boy was also heard screaming as he begged to be allowed inside his house 18 months before he died in a harrowing video taken by a neighbour, the court heard.
Scott, 35, told her trial she had not "belted" Alfie, while Howell, 41, said he did not beat the schoolboy or attempt to stage a cover-up, instead claiming to have attempted CPR to revive his alleged victim.
Harrowing bodycam footage which shows the moment the mum told officers Alfie had "banged his head in the bath" was shown to the court alongside the audio of a 999 call she made.
Jurors were played the emergency call made by Scott at at 2.24pm on February 18, 2021, in which she claims her son had "fallen asleep" and drowned in the bath.
She remains calm as she tells the operator she could "feel a rattle" on her son’s chest, adding: "He’s not breathing, but he keeps making noises."
After being told an ambulance was on the way, Scott says: "He fell asleep in the bath. He's got asthma. When he was a baby he got pneumonia."
The operator then gives instructions on giving CPR to Alfie, before Scott says: "I can see him breathing a bit. Not a lot but I can see him breathing a bit."
Bodycam camera footage shows the landing of the home full of paramedics and officers, and Scott standing in the doorway of a "dark, dirty and dishevelled" bedroom where Alfie was found.
Scott can also be seen making a phone call to Howell in another clip to ask him where he was, and tells him: "He's gone up to hospital, they won't let me go up there yet.
"There's loads of police, they've got detectives and everything."
She ends the phone call by saying "I will do, I love you too" and makes a kissing sound down the phone.
During sentencing today, prosecutor Michelle Heeley KC read personal statements Alfie's grandad Paul Scott who said he had a smile that would melt your heart.
He said: "Our precious grandson Alfie was a charming, funny and inquisitive young boy whose kindness and cheeky smile was enough to melt your heart.
“He had a unique personality that made him a treasure to be around, whether it was his comical phrases or his quirky dance moves, he knew how to make you laugh and cry joyous tears.
“It fills us with immense sadness that we will never be able to see that same cheeky smile again.
“Losing Alfie has left a massive void in our lives, to think that we will never be able to hug him and watch him grow into an accomplished young man causes much anguish.
“We miss him so much."
The grandad added he was mentally and physically 'shattered' over Alfie's death.
"I keep hearing him shouting 'help me grandad', he added.
Rachel Brand KC, in mitigation for Scott, told the court: "Clearly she was in thrall to her co-defendant, Mr Howell, under his influence.
"Clearly, he instigated these offences and took the leading role."
She said Scott 'made efforts to temper her conduct' and that 'there was a different atmosphere in the house when Mr Howell wasn't present'.
Ms Brand states Scott was a 'loving mother' who never beat Alfie before meeting Howell.
Alisdair Williamson, for Howell, states: "There is no evidence he derived pleasure, rather than being a loss of control."
