Jurors have retired to consider their verdicts in the trial of a mother and her former boyfriend who stand accused of murdering a baby boy.

Little Alfie Phillips died three years ago this week, with a jury hearing harrowing details of the toddler’s death in a trial that started seven weeks ago.

Alfie’s mother, Sian Hedges, 27, and her then partner Jack Benham are alleged to have subjected the 18-month-old to a sustained and fatal assault in a caravan in Hernhill near Faversham on November 27, 2020.

Post-mortem examinations revealed the youngster had 70 visible injuries, multiple broken bones and potential signs of smothering to his mouth and lips.

The 35-day trial at Maidstone Crown Court has heard from a wide range of witnesses including Hedges and Benham themselves and family members, friends and medical experts.

Benham, of Highstreet Road, Hernhill, and Hedges, of Fillace Park, Yelverton, Devon, deny murder and an alternative charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Following Alfie’s death, a number of experts were asked to examine his body to determine the extent of his injuries and the potential cause of them.

A skeletal survey conducted days after he had died revealed he had suffered fractures to his left and right forearms, his ribs, sternum, left leg, and the big toe on his right foot.

A specialist later said there were signs many of the fractures had occurred in the hours before Alfie’s death, with the cause of some “crushing in nature”.

Hedges and Benham, 35, are accused of murdering Alfie by subjecting the toddler to an “aggressive, violent” show of discipline.

As well as multiple visible injuries and broken bones, traces of cocaine were also found in his body, indicating he had been recently exposed to the Class A drug, which his mum and Benham admitted taking in the hours before he died.

The jury was earlier told she had recently split from Alfie's father, Sam Phillips, and was living with her son and new boyfriend in the back garden of Benham’s parents’ home in Hernhill, near Faversham.

On the evening of Friday, November 27, 2020, she and Benham were in his parents’ house with Alfie, where the toddler was said to have been looking well and without visible injuries by several of Benham’s relatives.

The youngster was taken back to the caravan at 7pm and was not seen again by anyone other than Benham and Hedges until about 11.30am the following morning.

It was during these hours it is alleged Alfie was murdered.

The court was told that shortly before 11.30am on the Saturday Benham came to the main house with Alfie in his arms. The toddler was described as “blue and floppy” and was not breathing.

Benham’s mother, Joan Benham, started performing CPR in the living room and his father, Mark Benham, called 999.

Paramedics arrived within 10 minutes but it was immediately apparent to them Alfie had been “dead for some time”, said the prosecutor.

Mrs Benham noticed a number of bruises to Alfie’s face she said had not been there the night before.

Alfie’s step-grandfather – Mr Phillips’ step-father – also told the court he had doubts about the cause of an injury to the toddler’s face two months before his death.

Mark Demain told jurors he struggled to believe Hedges’ account about a cut under Alfie’s right eye.

He was treated at the Estuary View practice in Whitstable and medical notes showed Alfie’s injury needed to be glued.

Mr Demain said Hedges had claimed Alfie’s injury had been caused by a pebble but Mr Phillips had earlier told the jury it was caused by him falling over at the beach – although he could recall when that was.

The prosecution had earlier told the jury that Benham's mother remembered an incident she said occurred about six weeks before Alfie’s death when he sustained a cut under his eye.

Mrs Benham said the youngster had been in her house playing with some keys, which he took back to the caravan at the bottom of her garden with Hedges and Benham, who were living in the mobile home.

Mrs Benham recalled that a short time later Benham came back to the house saying that Alfie had caught himself under the eye with the keys, causing a cut, the prosecution said.

Messages exchanged between Hedges and Benham on September 23 seemed to refer to this incident.

Mr Phillips also told the jury that three days before Alfie’s death, when ex-partner Hedges brought his son to visit, the toddler had a bruise on one of his ears.

The jury also heard from other friends and relatives who recalled noticing different injuries on Alfie.

Hedges’ friend, Zoe Tritton, said she described his ear as “purple” about a month before he died.

Hedges told her that Alfie had bumped it against something while bending over to do the TV buttons at her father’s house.

Miss Tritton also remembered an occasion when Alfie bumped into a door frame at her house, with Hedges remarking that he was “clumsy”.

On November 10, 2020, Hedges took all of her belongings out of Sam Phillips’ caravan, but often returned to visit with Alfie, including three days before his death.

Giving evidence, Mr Phillips said on November 25 his son looked “tired, a bit pasty”, but added: “He was just doing his normal thing - running about, playing with his toys, being happy.”

On Thursday, November 26, Benham’s parents recall him saying that Alfie had caught his fingers in their dog gate, causing bruising to his fingernails.