Elijah is said to have suffered ‘whiplash-type injuries’ as well as multiple fractures to his limbs, and died three days after he was discovered.
Carl Alesbrook has been found guilty of killing four-month-old Elijah Shemwell (Derbyshire Police)
A court heard how on 2 January, Shemwell had phoned for an ambulance for her son, with prior video footage taken by the mother showing Elijah to be ‘gasping for breath’ as well as unresponsive.
The court also learnt that Shemwell would often leave Elijah in the care of then then 16-year-old Alesbrook, despite only knowing him for seven weeks prior to her son’s death.
Footage released from the investigation reveals Alesbrook being initially questioned over the circumstances of Elijah’s death, as well as clips taken from later police interviews.
In the clip, an officer confronts Alesbrook over a previous claim in which he stated he had contacted police to ask where they were after the child had taken ill – which was later proven to be false.
“This was a lie, there is no message saying ‘where are you?'” the officer tells him, before going on to add: “We have interrogated your phone and that is not confirmed on there. What do you have to say about this?”
Leaning against the wall, Alesbrook shockingly mumbles: “F**k all.”
The officer interviewing him then presses the teenager over previous claims that he’d made in previous interviews stating he was asleep and unaware Shemwell wasn’t in the flat.
To these questions he shockingly responded: “I say you’re boring man.”
Alesbrook, 19, had denied causing harm to Elijah but was subsequently convicted by a jury of causing the child’s fatal injuries by violently shaking him.
Elijah’s mother India Shemwell has also been sentenced to three years in prison (Derbyshire Police)
He has since been sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison for the crime. Meanwhile, Shemwell, now 24, has received a total of three years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of child cruelty.
Speaking about the case, DCI Greg McGill, who led the investigation into Elijah’s death, said in a statement: “Carl Alesbrook was 16 years old at the time of Elijah’s death.
“While a child himself, even a teenager knows the fatal risks posed by shaking a four-month-old baby boy.
“He tried to hoodwink the jury by spinning a story that sought to cover up his guilt – but they saw through his lies and half-truths, and I am grateful for their careful consideration that has ultimately found him guilty.”
Featured Image Credit: PA/Derbyshire Police
Brenna Cooper
Moment man who was adopted as a baby discovers his biological mother’s identity and horrific past
He was shocked to learn that his mother was involved in one of the biggest murder cases in the UK’s history
A man that was adopted as a baby recalled the time that he discovered his biological mother’s true identity, and was shocked.
Neil Berriman, from Petersfield, Hampshire, appears in a new BBC documentary, recalling the story behind his real family.
The Brit appears in the first episode, which is set to air on Wednesday (6 November) at 9pm.
Recalling that his adoptive mother Audrey had given him a brown envelope and instructed him to open it when he was older as it had ‘the answers to some questions’, he was uninterested – until she insisted.
On her deathbed, he said that the answers were there ‘when he needed them’.
It took him three years after she died of cancer, but looking in the envelope, he found a document about his adoption and a newspaper article from 1994, detailing that the woman that he thought was his sister, was really his mother, report the Daily Mail.
Neil couldn’t believe he was linked to the murder case (BBC)
But 17 years ago, Neil said he only knew of the Lucan affair, but it turned out that he was directly linked to it – that being that his mother was actually Sandra Rivett.
Sandra was just 29 when she was found dead in a mail sack in the basement of Lord Lucan’s home in Belgravia, London.
He was the son of Lord Lucan’s murdered nanny, and on the new documentary, he broke down in tears as he remembered the moment where he found out the identity of his biological mother.
Neil first discovered on the adoption order that his real name was Gary Roger Hensby.
Following her death, Lucan went on the run, and was last spotted at the home of Ian Maxwell-Scott, in Uckfield, Sussex, where he told his friend’s wife that he went through a ‘traumatic night of unbelievable coincidence’ and was going to ‘lie doggo for a while’.
Lord Lucan has been presumed dead since 2015, and he was never brought to justice for Sandra’s murder, though an inquest 40 years prior found him guilty of murder.
Neil went on to explain: “So Stephen – the boy from the newspaper article – must be my brother. But (the nanny) can’t be connected to me because she’s called Sandra Rivett.
“I read the article one last time and down (at) the bottom I then realised her name was actually Sandra Eleanor Hensby.”
Fighting back the tears, he stated: “I am the son of Sandra Eleanor Hensby – also known as the nanny murdered by Lord Lucan in 1974.
“A single letter is what I was expecting. This just doesn’t happen, does it?
“The chances of you being adopted and finding out that your mother is [involved] in one of the biggest murder mysteries of all time. It’s unbelievable,” he admitted.
Neil is the son of Lord Lucan’s nanny (Terry Fincher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
After giving Stephen up for adoption to her parents shortly after his birth, Neil was born two years later in 1966, and the adoption agency revealed that Sandra ‘did not feel she could possibly bring this baby up properly herself’.
She had the child with a married man that had employed her as a housekeeper, though later married Roger Rivett the following year.
Sandra worked for Lord Lucan and his wife for 10 weeks before being murdered.
On 7 November that year, as Lady Lucan was watching TV, she was struck over the head a number of times, and fell to the ground, as the attacker told her to ‘shut up’.
She recognised him as Lord Lucan, and bit his fingers whilst ‘grabbing his genitalia’, according to reports.
When she asked where Sandra was, he firstly said that she had gone out, before revealing: “I’ve killed her, she came down first, if it had been you, you would have got it’.”
Lady Lucan then convinced her husband to help clean her injuries up, but as he went to the bathroom, she ran to a local pub and the report detailed: “She collapsed on the floor and screamed, ‘He’s murdered the nanny and he’s after the children’. The police and an ambulance were called.”
“The first officers on the scene spoke to Lady Lucan. She told them that the nanny had been murdered and she gave them her address. Lady Lucan was taken to St George’s Hospital, SW1,” it further read.
Lord Lucan had fled to Sussex, never to be found again, despite police investigations and he is presumed dead.
Featured Image Credit: BBC / Terry Fincher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Topics: BBC, Crime, Documentaries, UK News, True Crime, Parenting
Joshua Nair
Shocking moment murderer unknowingly says something only killer would know in police interview
The murderer gave away a big clue during his interrogation
A man who arrived at the police station to provide information about his missing friend became a person of interest in a murder case after admitting to something only a killer would know.
Retired 65-year-old Jay Rothe went to Springfield Police Department in Missouri, US, in February 2012 to supposedly find out about the disappearance of his friend Linda Riley, 53.
A day before Riley was reported missing, a neighbour was alerted by the ongoing unanswered calls at her home.
Jay Rothe. (Springfield Police Department)
After going to check up on her, they found that the door was unlocked and Riley was not there.
When police got to the scene, Riley’s phone and purse were still in the house.
They suspected that she ‘did not leave her residence on her own accord’.
After discovering that Rothe was with Riley two days before she went missing, police brought him in for questioning.
YouTuber Mind Of A Criminal explains: “Jay’s demeanour during interviews with
detectives stands out. He appears honest, genuinely concerned and eager to assist.
“Roth’s earnest expressions and cooperative attitude paint a picture of someone deeply invested in finding Linda quickly.
“This urgency is because the chances of locating a missing person safely decrease as time progresses.
On 27 February 2012, Linda Riley was reported missing from her home. (Springfield Police Department)
“Statistically, the first 24 hours are crucial, the likelihood of finding a missing person alive diminishes with each passing hour, raising concerns about their well-being.”
The moment he became a person of interest was when he mentioned that Riley wouldn’t abandon her dogs.
Police realised there was no possible way for him to know that the dogs were still in the apartment.
The YouTuber also noted: “Linda lodged a formal complaint against Jay, alleging assault predicated on her refusal to consent to sexual intercourse.
“Upon becoming aware of the ongoing police investigation into these allegations, Jay proactively returns to the police station with the intention of clarifying his side of the story.”
“Throughout the interviews, Rothe consistently discusses his affection and admiration for Linda, asserting his role as her protector,” they added.
“However, an underlying theme of control and coercive behaviour becomes evident in the aftermath of Linda’s death. Rothe’s actions further complicate the narrative.”
After failing a polygraph test, police requested to Rothe reveal what actually happened.
He soon confessed that he attacked Riley, but she died when she fell and hit her head.
On 4 March 2012 Rothe led the police to the site where he incinerated her remains.
In July 2013, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Missouri and died in jail of apparent natural causes in 2022.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/@mindofacriminal/Springfield Police Department
Anish Vij
Tragedy as 74-year-old man killed by bus with reports of ‘severed head’ found on street
Police say they are still working to ‘establish the full circumstances of this incident’
A man has died after being struck by a bus following unverified reports of a ‘severed head’ being found on the streets of Edinburgh.
Police have since asked the public to stop sharing distressing photos and videos on social media, ‘which are causing distress to the deceased’s family’.
The 74-year-old was hit by a single-decker bus in the Cowgate area at around 7.25pm on Saturday (2 November), Police Scotland has said.
A man, 74, in Edinburgh was fatally struck by a bus, police has said (PA wire)
People in the surrounding area were asked to leave as the roads were closed off for forensic officers attending the scene.
The roads have since re-opened after police said ‘there is no risk to the wider public’.
BBC Scotland News reporter, James Delaney, said: “Inside were two forensic tents, probably about 100m apart.
“The Cowgate is usually jumping on a Saturday night, but the bars and pubs inside the cordon had been closed.
“We saw about a dozen or so people in white forensic suits, and there were a few guys in suits too who I assume were detectives.”
Sergeant Louise Birrell, of the Road Policing Unit, Edinburgh, added: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
“Officers have spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage.
“We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police.
Police have asked the public to stop sharing distressing photos and videos on social media (Roy/PA wire)
“If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch.
“Anyone with information is asked to call the police via 101.
“Please quote incident number 3395 of Saturday, 2 November 2024.”
Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander, has also asked for people to stop sharing various images and videos on social media out of respect for the family.
“We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased’s family and those viewing them inadvertently,” she warned.
“We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family, and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation.
“There has been a lot of speculation, and I would like to reassure the local community that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the wider public.
“This was a tragic incident. We are investigating a crash, and our road policing officers, assisted by local officers, are continuing to carry out enquiries.”
“Anyone with concerns or any information which could assist the investigation should contact police.”
Scottish Ambulance Service told LADbible in a statement: “We received a call at 19:32 on Saturday 2 November to attend a road traffic collision on Cowgate, Edinburgh. We dispatched one ambulance, one special operations response team (SORT), and one paramedic response unit (PRU) to the scene.”
LADbible Group has contacted Police Scotland for comment.
Featured Image Credit: PA wire/Roy/PA wire
Topics: UK News
Anish Vij
Moment child of serial killer discovered disturbing truth behind gruesome sketch he showed him
Serial killer John Sweeney is in prison after being found guilty of committing two murders
The son of a serial killer once spoke about the moment his dad showed him a gruesome drawing he’d done.
The case of killer John Sweeney is gaining newfound attention due to ITV drama Until I Kill You, which stars Shaun Evans as Sweeney and Anna Maxwell Martin as Delia Balmer, a nurse who he attacked before going on the run for six years.
In the ITV drama, events range from the start of Balmer’s relationship with Sweeney up to his eventual trial, and not to spoil things, but he was found guilty.
He had been sentenced to life in prison for attempting to murder Balmer, and then ended up going on trial again years later for the murders of former partners Melissa Halstead and Paula Fields.
Halstead’s body had been discovered in a canal in Rotterdam in 1990, but remained unidentified for 18 years before cold case investigators in the Netherlands looked into the matter again.
Body parts belonging to Fields were found in Regent’s Canal, King’s Cross, in 2001 but her head, hands and feet were not discovered among the remains.
Police found paintings and drawings at the home of serial killer John Sweeney (Metropolitan Police / PA)
Following his arrest, police found a number of paintings and drawings which included violent scenarios and dead women.
According to The Mirror, after his father’s second trial in 2011, Sweeney’s son Michael said that his father once handed him a drawing which showed the boy his own mother in a coffin.
He initially thought it was his dad being bitter over their breakup, but after the trials came to know that it was a window into the world of a serial killer.
Michael said: “I could see it was my mum straight away. It was so lifelike. It was like a photograph. I thought at the time it was strange but just a symbol of their bad relationship.
“Now I know he has killed I can’t help but wonder why didn’t he kill my mum?”
The serial killer’s story is now an ITV drama starring Shaun Evans and Anna Maxwell Martin (ITV)
Michael also said he’d pleaded with his dad to come clean about any other murders he’d committed, and that he never wanted to see him again after encountering him for the last time at a funeral.
Sweeney was taken from the prison to attend his father Jack’s funeral accompanied by prison guards, and his son remembers him saying ‘Michael don’t make the same mistakes as I did!’.
Michael found it ‘sick’ that the serial killer was trying to give parental advice and responded: “There’s no chance of that is there dad!”
The BBC reported during Sweeney’s trial that other drawings and paintings he did contained phrases like ‘Never Die Till I Kill You’, ‘Crimes of Passion’ and ‘A Wanted Man’.
