Toddler’s aunt says Stephen Waterson warned co-accused to keep up false story

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A man accused of crushing his girlfriend’s young son with a car seat threatened to make her “disappear” if she disclosed what happened, a court has heard.

Stephen Waterson, 25, allegedly crushed three-year-old Alfie Lamb in the footwell of an Audi convertible on 1 February last year.

Alfie’s mother, Adrian Hoare, 23, lied to police about what happened, claiming the child went “floppy” after they were given a lift in a friend’s Volkswagen Golf, the Old Bailey heard.

Jurors were told that in fact the three had been returning home to Croydon, south London, after a shopping trip with Emilie Williams, 19, from Blackpool, and Waterson’s stepbrother Marcus Lamb, 22.

On hearing of Alfie’s death, Hoare’s half-sister Ashleigh Jeffrey determined to find out “the truth” and repeatedly pressed for information.

Giving evidence, Jeffrey said the group appeared “shut off” and refused to answer her questions when they let off balloons in Alfie’s memory.

After a visit to St Thomas’ hospital to view the body, Jeffrey accompanied her half-sister back to Waterson’s Croydon flat, where the group gathered.

Duncan Atkinson QC, prosecuting, asked: “Did you have another go at finding out what happened to Alfie?”

Jeffrey said: “I did try. This time they ended up having a bit of a debate in front of me about keeping up the lies they had already told.”

She said Waterson had warned everyone to keep up the pretence otherwise “he would make them disappear”.

On 15 February, Waterson “kicked off” and Hoare went to Jeffrey’s house, the jury heard.

With Hoare’s knowledge, Jeffrey recorded their conversation on her mobile phone. In the recording, which was replayed in court, Hoare could be heard saying Alfie had been “whinging” during the car journey.

She said: “Alfie was behind Stephen in between my legs. We had not been in the car that long, to be fair, and Alfie was whinging.

“He was just whinging. Stephen moved the chair back. I told him to move the chair forward. Emilie was like ‘he’s fine, he’s got room,’ so he left the chair where it was.

“When we got out, Stephen went to lift him out of the car. He was floppy. Stephen thought he was fucking about.”

Jeffrey said she kept asking why it had been “such a big secret” and everyone had to keep it “hush hush” for Waterson’s sake. She told jurors she handed over the recording to police straight away.

During Hoare’s earlier police interview, on 3 February, she said she had moved in with her mother in Chatham, Kent, after Alfie’s father, Richard Lamb, burned down their house.

Hoare denied knowing Waterson, claiming she was seeing a man called Stephen Marchant from Maidstone.

Hoare, Waterson and Williams have since pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice by making false statements to police.

Hoare denies Alfie’s manslaughter, child cruelty and common assault on Williams. Waterson has pleaded not guilty to Alfie’s manslaughter and intimidation of Richard Lamb.

The trial continues.