A woman was charged with killing her three-year-old son after striking him with a bamboo cane. She justified her actions by claiming the Bible instructed her to discipline him.
A court heard that 30-year-old Christina Robinson caused her son severe burns by submerging him in scalding water and also shook him with enough force to cause brain damage.
During the trial, it was revealed that Robinson committed the abuse while her partner, Gabriel Adu-Appau, was away attending basic training in the Royal Air Force. During this time, she was also having an extramarital affair with someone she met online and attempting to get pregnant through a sperm donor.
Robinson has entered a plea of not guilty for the alleged murder of her son, Dwelaniyah, at their residence in Ushaw Moor, located in County Durham. Additionally, she refutes the accusation of child cruelty.
During the initial day of her trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Richard Wright KC, the prosecutor, stated that Dwelaniyah had passed away due to a head injury caused by forceful shaking. At the time, Dwelaniyah’s mother was her sole caretaker.
On 5 November 2022, during the afternoon, Robinson contacted emergency services and requested an ambulance for her child. She informed the operator that Dwelaniyah was unresponsive and exhibiting unusual eye movements.
According to Wright, Robinson informed the police at the scene that Dwelaniyah had been consuming a cheese sandwich when he suddenly lost consciousness and fell. She stated that he typically had trouble properly chewing and swallowing his food.
After careful examination after death, it was discovered that Dwelaniyah had sustained tramline bruising, a type of injury often associated with being struck with a cylindrical weapon.
A bamboo cane, tainted with the child’s blood and tissue, was found at the residence.
According to Wright, the accused has acknowledged using a weapon to strike him, but justifies her actions by citing the Bible’s teaching on disciplining children.
The young boy had several bandages on his lower body due to burning himself while playing in the shower, according to Robinson.
According to Wright, the burns on his legs, buttocks, and genitals were severe and horrific because the boy was submerged in extremely hot water. He explained that the injuries would have caused the boy intense pain at the time they occurred and also in the days following if they had not been properly treated or cared for.
The jury was informed that the burns were severe enough to require surgery for treatment. The burns needed prompt care and would have resulted in permanent scarring.
According to Wright, it should have been clear that the boy required medical attention. However, Robinson chose to observe, on a daily basis, as the boy endured excruciating pain “with severe burns seeping through his bandages.”
He stated that the child’s fatal brain damage was the result of vigorous shaking, most likely with an impact upon a surface.
Wright stated that the boy’s passing was not a coincidence, but rather the culmination of a pattern of aggressive and inhumane behaviors committed by his mother.
“She injured him, she neglected to treat the injuries she inflicted upon him and then she murdered him.”
During the period of abuse and her husband’s absence, Wright claims that Robinson attempted to conceive a child through the use of a sperm donor, and was successful. Additionally, she engaged in a casual relationship with an individual she had met online.
Wright referenced Robinson’s claim that using a cane to beat a child until they bled aligned with her interpretation of Biblical teachings and noted that her understanding of Biblical rules was continuously evolving.
The duration of the trial is anticipated to be four weeks.
Source: theguardian.com
