A toddler alleged to have been murdered by his mum and her boyfriend was discovered with injuries “from head to foot” - including human bite marks and scratches.

A forensic pathologist has given evidence in the trial of Sian Hedges, 27, and her then-partner Jack Benham, who are accused of subjecting Alfie Phillips to a fatal assault in a caravan in Hernhill, near Faversham, in November 2020.

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

Today the jury heard how 18-month-old Alfie died of a "significant and sustained" assault by a third party, and had bruises and fractures "literally from head to foot” which would have caused him pain.

Home Office forensic pathologist Virginia Fitzpatrick-Swallow said the youngster may also have been exposed to cocaine, but added they were “low levels” and “unlikely to have been the cause of his death”.

His mum and Benham admitted taking the Class A drug in the hours before he died.

Dr Fitzpatrick-Swallow told the jury: "Toddlers are well-known for frequent accidental injuries to their bodies.

“These tend to be in fairly typical sites and result from falling over and impacting against hard surfaces.

"A very few bruises in this case could be explicable on this basis. Significantly there are a large number of injuries which cannot be explained by accidental means and have been caused by a third party.

"There is evidence of significant and sustained assault resulting in numerous fractured bones and bite marks consistent with human dentition.

"I have no doubt he came about his death by unnatural means as a result of third-party actions.”

Dr Fitzpatrick-Swallow took the jury at Maidstone Crown Court through each of Alfie’s 70 injuries in computer-generated images.

She said she found "a lot of injuries" around his mouth

She said: “These were multiple blunt force injuries. A hard blunt object came into contact with the face or his head came into contact with it.

"Some of the injuries might have been caused by a hand or fist or nails. The injuries to his head might have been caused by gripping.

"Both eyes had bruises, and a red abrasion he had to the jaw bone was the result of something hitting Alfie's face or his face hitting something.”

She revealed how she found two fractures in his left wrist and fractures to both his feet and bruises to his head, possibly caused by fingernail scratches.

The doctor added that Alfie also suffered fractures to both arms and in one foot.

She was asked by the prosecutor: "Would these injuries have been painful?"

The expert replied: "Yes."

Dr Fitzpatrick-Swallow said there was nothing wrong with Alfie prior to him suffering the injuries that killed him.

She said it was very difficult to say exactly when Alfie died but his death was unlikely to have been within minutes or an hour before the paramedics arrived at the caravan on the morning on November 28.

The jury were shown drawings of rib fractures, some of which were caused within hours of death and others up to 72 hours earlier.

Previously, Hedges cried in the dock as the prosecution outlined the case against her and Benham during the trial’s opening.

The jury was 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.

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 prosecutor Jennifer Knight.

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

Benham came into the living room and told paramedics Alfie had been grumpy the night before so they took him into bed with them and when they woke Alfie was trapped under Benham’s legs and they could not wake him.

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

A skeletal survey and post-mortem examinations revealed he 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.

Ms Knight told the jury earlier in the trial: “It is clear that Alfie Philips was deliberately injured on more than one occasion, culminating in an assault perpetrated during the night of November 27 to 28 that led to his death.

“Had either defendant not been joining in with the assaults, he or she would have stopped the attack and removed Alfie Phillips from the caravan.

“The fact that this did not happen can only be because both defendants agreed that the assaults should take place and each played their part.”

The jury was told Hedges and Benham were arrested on the evening of Saturday, November 28, and interviewed over the course of two days.

Tests showed both had used cocaine and Hedges admitted to police she had taken a £40 bag over the course of three hours after Alfie went to sleep, the prosecution said.

The pair also drank whisky and Coke, with Hedges telling police they had their last drink at about 1am and then went to sleep in the same bed as Alfie.

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.

The trial continues.