Mom Sentenced to 25 Years for Murder of Son, 3, After Abuse Including Severely Burning and Caning Him

Investigators found a message on Christina Robinson's phone that said the toddler would "get what he deserves"

A U.K. woman was found guilty of murdering her 3-year-old son and will now serve a minimum of 25 years in prison.

Christina Robinson, 30, denied murdering the toddler, Dwelaniyah, in 2022, but a jury unanimously agreed this week that he died from injuries she inflicted upon him, according to a news release from the Durham Constabulary.

The May 24 release said that Dwelaniyah died from a head injury, which “could only have been caused by shaking or being thrown against something.” Officials also found evidence of a second head injury, which they believed he suffered a few days before his death.

But the head trauma was just one of the injuries Dwelaniyah sustained at the hand of his mother, police said.

The 3-year-old was also covered in burn marks — more than 60 across his body — including particularly serious ones on the lower half of his body, which officials say he sustained up to three weeks before his murder.

Authorities believe he sustained the burns by “being submerged in a bath of boiling water” — and that Robinson never attempted to get the toddler medical treatment afterward.

Instead, authorities said she sought medical advice online, as well as bandages, and left Dwelaniyah to cope with his burns.

For about two weeks after he sustained the burns, a “whimpering” sound was reportedly heard from Robinson’s home in Ushaw Moor, County Durham, the Durham Constabulary said.

As Dwelaniyah was continuously subjected to Robinson's abuse, police said she spun a “web of lies” to hide the injuries — including on the day of his death.

On Nov. 5, 2022, Robinson called for an ambulance, claiming that the toddler had choked on a sandwich and was not breathing. There was no evidence of an obstruction ever found, however, and Robinson’s phone history showed she waited nearly 20 minutes after he collapsed to call for help.

Dwelaniyah was rushed to a nearby hospital at the time, but he died shortly after.

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More evidence of Robinson’s lies and abuse were also found in her home, including a cane, which was found to contain her toddler’s blood, police said.

Authorities also believe that prior to his death, Dwelaniyah ate some “tablets” Robinson kept in her kitchen and vomited them up. Police said Robinson once again neglected to seek medical attention and instead told someone via WhatsApp that the toddler would "get what he deserves.”

Robinson’s messages also revealed that she often left both Dwelaniyah and his younger sibling home alone for up to two hours at a time, police said.

Robinson reportedly admitted to caning Dwelaniyah in accordance with her religious beliefs in court, though she denied killing or otherwise injuring the toddler, according to the BBC.

In court, Robinson reportedly told jurors, "I did not kill my child in anyway. However the prosecution chooses to say it, whichever way anyone wants to imagine it, the fact is I did not kill my child.”

"I stand by that, and will forever stand by that,” she said, per the BBC. “I pray for the day justice will be served."

Speaking about the toddler’s death, Durham Constabulary’s Detective Chief Inspector Simon Turner said, “Dwelaniyah was a defenceless little boy who had his life ahead of him, but this was cruelly taken away his own mother – someone he should have been able to trust, someone who should have cared about him.”

“We may never know why or what caused Christina Robinson to do what she did,” added Turner. “Her actions are unforgivable and sadly nothing will bring Dwelaniyah back but at least she is now facing the consequences of what she has done.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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