A mother and her former partner who murdered her 18-month-old son in a “wicked and torturous attack” have been jailed for life.

Sian Hedges and Jack Benham learned their fate today after brutally killing Alfie Phillips in a night of “violent discipline” inside a caravan home in Hernhill, near Faversham.

The cruel pair were sentenced in front of TV crews at Maidstone Crown Court today, in a first for any Kent court.

Hedges, 27, must serve at least 19 years while her ex-lover Jack Benham, 35, will not be considered for release until serving 23 years after taking a leading role in the attacks.

The judge, Justice Cavanagh, said Alfie suffered "unimaginable pain" in the "frenzied attack".

“You, Sian Hedges, were, until the night of his death, a loving mother to Alfie. You had no history of abusing or mistreating him, and Alfie was generally well cared for,” he added.

“But, alongside that, you put your own interests first. You had the opportunity to provide Alfie with a stable home with your mother in Devon, but instead you took him with you whilst you moved between your two partners on an almost daily basis.

“You took cocaine regularly and did so in front of Alfie.

“Indeed, traces of cocaine from secondary transfer were found in Alfie’s bloodstream. You spent a substantial amount of your income on drugs.”

The judge told Hedges she had “snorted a gram of cocaine” and stressed Benham had also smoked a gram of crack cocaine in the lead-up to Alfie’s death.

Turning to Benham, he continued: “The injuries were inflicted in an attempt to control, discipline, and punish this small child.

“I am sure that you, Jack Benham, took the lead and inflicted most of the injuries, including the main fractures.

“You are the stronger of the two; you have the worst temper; you had consumed more alcohol that night; and you were the one who was most frustrated that the drugs had run out.”

Today was the first time cameras have been in a Kent court since a law was passed permitting such filming in 2020, with only the judge being filmed to protect the privacy of witnesses and jurors.

Jennifer Knight KC, prosecuting, stressed today there was no sadistic element but a violent forceful discipline over a protracted time.

Alfie's dad Sam Phillips told the court in a victim impact statement that Hedge’s “heartless lies” will prevent him from knowing “the truth about my son”.

"When he died my life stopped. I didn't know that my wife was in a relationship,” he said.

“Alfie's death has had an effect on my mental health.

“Her heartless lies prevented me from saying my last goodbye. Her actions were callous and evil. I will never know the truth about my son.”

The killers were convicted in November of murder following a harrowing 35-day trial at the same court, with the pair blaming each other and denying any involvement in hurting Alfie in Benham’s caravan in November 2021.

But a jury saw through their lies and returned two unanimous guilty verdicts after nearly 10 hours of deliberations.

They had been told how Alfie had 70 visible injuries and multiple broken bones at the time of his death.

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 youngster had been taken back to the caravan at 7pm on Friday, November 27, and was not seen again by anyone other than Benham and Hedges until about 11.30am the following morning.

It was during these hours Alfie was murdered by the pair.

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.

Ambulance crews arrived within 10 minutes but it was immediately apparent to them Alfie had been “dead for some time”, prosecutor Jennifer Knight KC said.

Benham came into the living room and told paramedics when they woke Alfie was trapped under his legs and they could not wake him.

In reality, the little boy had been subjected to a sustained attack that caused his death.

He was taken to the QEQM Hospital in Margate, and pronounced dead at 12.35pm.

The trial was told how Benham was heard at the hospital to have said “what have I done?” when told Alfie had died.

A skeletal survey and post-mortem examinations revealed the toddler had multiple fractures to both of his arms, his ribs and one leg, as well as widespread bruising, marks and scrapes across his body.

Tests indicated many of the breaks to his bones would have occurred in the hours before Alfie’s death.

Justice Cavanagh today warned people in the public gallery that if there is any disturbance during the sentencing hearing they will be forced to leave.

Mitigating for Hedges, Ian Henderson KC said the evidence given during the trial showed she "doted on Alfie" but she admitted that at times she had put her own needs for drugs ahead of his care.

He added that members of her family were devastated by the little boy’s death.

Speaking after the sentences were handed down, Will Bodiam from CPS South East, said: “This is an absolutely tragic case. Alfie was killed by the two people, one of whom was his own mother, who were responsible that night for looking after him and protecting him.

“Instead, they subjected him to series of assaults during the course of that fateful night, leaving him with devastating injuries that he could not survive.

“Rather than admitting what they had done, they both claimed they were not responsible for the injuries inflicted on Alfie, even though they were both present during the time the attacks took place and could not account for what had happened to him, acknowledging that just a few hours earlier, he appeared absolutely fine.”

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Kathleen Way, said Alfie lost his life in “the most appalling circumstances”.

“Throughout the investigation they refused to admit what they had done and chose to put the rest of Alfie’s family, who loved him dearly, through the ordeal of a trial. As a result they had to hear the grim catalogue of injuries and abuse he had suffered,” she said.

“This was a harrowing case for all those involved including experienced officers who remained focused on the investigation and ensured evidence was recovered to ensure Alfie received some justice for the ending of his short life.

“I would like to thank Alfie’s father and other family members who supported our investigation throughout and I hope these sentences offer them some closure.”