Meir killer Scott Hepburn smashed baby's head against wall
BRUTAL killer Scott Hepburn threw his partner’s 18-month-old son on to the floor before twice smashing his head against a wall – because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
Hepburn said he was tired and just ‘flipped’ when little Ashley Johnson continued to sob.
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JAILED: Scott Hepburn.
The 33-year-old tried to cover up what he had done by putting the semi-conscious child back into his cot and telling his mother, Samantha Knox, that her son was sleepy when she returned to her home in Woodgate Street, Meir.
He then casually watched television on a computer and pretended he didn’t know what had happened when Samantha discovered her son’s injuries.
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Hepburn, of Fenpark Road, Fenton, was jailed for life at Stafford Crown Court yesterday.
The judge told him he must serve almost 15 years in prison before he would be eligible for parole.
Hepburn had denied murdering Ashley and was due to stand trial in January, but changed his plea to guilty. Police said the case against him was ‘overwhelming’.
After his arrest, Hepburn told officers he would never think of laying a finger on Ashley. But when police put medical evidence of Ashley’s injuries to him at a later interview, he confessed to the attack on January 27.
In the interview which was read out to the court, Hepburn said: “He was on the settee crying and I picked him up and walked around the room, but he still kept crying.
“I just didn’t know what to do. I tried to walk him round the room but he was constantly crying. I was tired anyway from getting up in the night and I really just flipped.
“I just like dropped him, sort of threw him on the floor, and he was still crying so I did it again.
“I picked him up again as he was still crying and I smashed his head against the wall twice.
“As a result of that, he stopped crying.”
Ashley was taken to hospital but died after suffering extensive fractures to his skull, causing a ‘catastrophic’ brain injury.
He also suffered a fracture to his leg in the 20-minute attack.
Hepburn, who was jailed for 30 months in 2002 for an arson attack, said he had never meant to kill the child.
He had been in a relationship with Samantha for four months and had increasingly been staying at her home overnight after the pair, who knew each other from school, had got back in touch on Facebook. Prosecutor Robert Price read out a statement from Samantha to the court, in which she said: “There will never be any words to describe the pain I go through each day.
“If I could have one wish, it would be to have you back in my arms and to hear you say mum again.”
Hepburn, who lived with his parents, was described in court as someone who had never really had any close friends and would spend most of his time alone in his bedroom on his computer.
Sentencing Hepburn, Judge Simon Tonking said: “You were alone with Ashley for about an hour and during that time you brutally killed him in what was a sustained and forceful assault. On your own admission you twice threw him on to the floor from a height of about three feet and then twice banging, or slamming as you said, his head full on against the wall.
“The reason which you have given for doing this is that he was crying and would not stop and you were tired, having got up to look after Ashley during the night.
“You have taken a son from his mother and a grandchild from his grandparents.”
Comments
by warren-lloyd
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 8:12AM
“Do behave Camband, personally I don't want this guy killed, just ****ed up in the wash area will do from the rest of his life. It won't happen, he'll be hidden on Muppet wing with a games console and a flat screen TV.”
by camband
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 12:24AM
“And rosie only got a miserable 3 greens. Oh well, I'm under no illusions -I know that hate and anger are stronger emotional drivers than love and tenderness -that other sad case -the man who also indulged in hate and anger -he proved that.... his nasty evil crime brings out the worst in many people -all in the same boat. Merchants of death.”
by camband
Tuesday, November 06 2012, 12:18AM
“30 reds eh! The missus must have had a quiet night -I bet she was relieved. I'm here to help the wives who live under the threat of violence... And I know that's a lot in this area. It's the best kept secret in town.
Go on ..spoil yourselves -indulge. No, not that, leaver her alone -I mean the reds -give me some reds -you can do better than 30. Come on ..let your hair down. Get it out of your system -pretend I'm in the showers in some nasty nick somewhere.”
by rosieno1
Monday, November 05 2012, 6:29PM
“He has no place in society scum like this deserve no life BRING BACK HANGING!!! get shut of em i say. I wont get into a debate about the ethics of saying that im just telling it as it is. Any crime regardless of the circumstances involving murder of a child well they should forfeit there life.A truely disgusting individual ....”
by camband
Monday, November 05 2012, 3:02PM
“"why did this woman leave her baby with a convicted arsonist anyway?" -by asif1979
You don't think the people on here are interested in those kind of questions do you. They don't want to discuss her. They want to discuss 'where the action is' -where the blood is -THEY DEMAND DEATH NOW.... PREFERABLY IN THE SHOWERS OF SOME INFERNAL NICK -somewhere in Britain.
The Clockwork Orange men. Now I can see why Kubrick took his film out of general release and has had it banned from public showing for over 30 years.
Looks like I'll have to settle for a 'red -letter' day today. Oh, well, there's worse happening at sea -as they say. Give us a few lads.... you know you'll feel better for it. Save the missus from getting a slap.”
by camband
Monday, November 05 2012, 2:54PM
“When I put up my last post -I expected to get about 20 or more red arrows by the end of the day.
Looks that my expectations are right on cue -six already. And three 'greens' for the post who represents the out of control mob-handed instant justice brigade.
That's about par for the course for Stoke. The Stokies who just can't wait for the next nasty headline that'll help turn them on to a spot of fantasy blood-letting.
Now, when I say 'now... 'hit them red buttons'; 'NOW!'”
by Havark
Monday, November 05 2012, 12:52PM
“How horrible! I hope somebody smashes his head against a wall!”
by camband
Monday, November 05 2012, 10:32AM
“Let's take it from the top the trepit -just to help you to understand where you're coming from.
1. You do agree I hope that the sad case who committed this dreadful deed -was out of control? (assuming we both agree on what 'being in control' means).
2. His 'out of control' action -came from his level of anger -whereby he considered the baby deserved to have its head bashed in against the wall, on the grounds that 'it' was causing him undue levels of distress.
To any sane person -like you or me, this is not only unforgivable, but impossible for us to get our heads round. Personally, and this is probably where we disagree -I believe him to have serious mental problems -call him mentally ill if you like. Being diagnosed 'mentally ill' is when we act abnormally -in 'normal situation' -and a baby, crying, is a 'normal situation'.
'Now what's all that to do with executing him?' -I hear you ask. Well,I can take the view that a decision by 'organised society' to kill any person so ill as he obviously is, -to be 'put down' by lethal injection, or by hanging 'from the end of a rope' -whatever method you might prefer to be used -is a 'group decision' taken when 'out of control' of of how it sees and understands the nature of the complexity -that is the human species.
These 'retributive motives' -are ones which come from 'base emotion' -just as the the killer sought retribution for his own 'considered level of distress' -qualifying him, in his own mentally ill state of mind, his way of thinking, to 'stop the crying' once and for all.
The question that divides opinion on the type of killing are two-fold. Is he mentally ill? And, is 'retribution' an acceptable reason for taking a life?
(and I know you don't consider someone bashing a baby's head in against a wall to be the act of a mentally ill person)”
by camband
Monday, November 05 2012, 9:32AM
“by Trepit01 Sunday, November 04 2012, 11:42PM
"camband, because you think we would be out of control if we did have capital punishment, why would we be out of control?" unquote.
Oh dear... again, go back, once again, to where words of mine on this thread caused you to pose this question.
And once again, you'll see the answer lies there waiting for you. Calm down.... take a deep breath, and that should allow you to be in a steady state of mind to actually see -And comprehend, what I actually say on the matter -particularly in reference to your question posed above.
This is getting too much like hard work.”
by johnwhite18
Monday, November 05 2012, 7:11AM
“Just hope the inmates know about this crime he got of light with that min 15 years as well”