Blood-stained bedding and baby grows found at home of 10-month old Chesterfield baby who died after suffering “severe injuries”, court hears

Finley Boden died on Christmas Day 2020 – just 39 days after being returned to parents Stephen Boden and Shannon Marsden from care. Boden, 29, and Marsden, 21, both deny murder, cruelty to a person under 16 and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Mary Prior KC told Derby Crown Court today (Wednesday, November 2) that both had admitted to smoking cannabis on Christmas Eve. Marsden said the pair bought three and a half grams of cannabis every two days – and Ms Prior said an expert had calculated that this would cost around £5,000 a year.

After Finley’s death, Ms Prior said that tests found Marsden had high levels of cannabis in her hair – but she claimed that their cannabis use did not impact on her or Boden’s ability to care for their children.

Marsden said that she and Boden would smoke in their kitchen, but the court heard Finley was also found to have cannabis in his bloodstream – to which Marsden said that Boden may have smoked in the bedroom.

In a police interview, however, Boden said that he smoked outside of the house, and that he had no explanation for the cannabis in Finley’s bloodstream.

The court heard that Marsden was concerned Boden was cheating on her again – having done so shortly after Finley was born.

Ms Prior told the court that Marsden had said Boden was only violent to her on one occasion – slapping her in the face. She was questioned as to why she told her mother to inform the police that Boden would try and kill her. Ms Prior said that Marsden admitted she did not know why she sent that message – but that he might have thrown her against the stairs.

The court heard that Marsden said Finley was bathed once a week, but she had only been in the bathroom once while this happened – as Boden said the room was too small and told her to get Finley’s clothes ready.

Ms Prior said that Marsden had also denied telling her own mother that Finley could not visit due to marks on his face – and said that she had wanted her to see these marks.

Ms Prior said that Marsden did accept that she had held Finley a few times, but had noticed no discomfort or soreness. She said that Boden must have caused the injuries to Finley because she had not, and that she had not seen the burn to his hand. Ms Prior told the court that Marsden said, had she noticed these injuries, she would have left.

The court heard that Marsden felt Finley did not get worse in the couple of days preceding his death, but had perked up. Ms Prior said that Marsden had searched the internet for Sepsis symptoms, and Marsden had told Boden that she wanted to seek medical attention for Finley. Marsden claimed that Boden had replied that, if she found proof that Finley had Sepsis, she could take him to the GP.

Marsden thought Finley had developed a blood blister, and again told Boden that he might have Sepsis.

Ms Prior showed a series of photos taken of the house after Finley had died. She said these images were of an “unhygienic and cluttered” home – and added there were items on the floor of the kitchen that were“well within reach of a toddler.”

She said that forensic tests had found that several items of clothing and bedding in the home were stained with Finley’s blood.

A mattress protector for Finley’s cot, which Ms Prior said was removed and folded at the top of the stairs, was soiled with his blood, faeces and vomit. Finley’s blood and vomit were also detected on a blanket.

An image was presented of a ‘captain cute’ t-shirt, which was rolled up in bedding and left on top of a laundry basket – upon which Finley’s blood was found in two different areas.

The court heard that a Mickey Mouse baby grow, found in a pile of clothes, was stained with a mixture of vomit, milk and blood – with an area of heavy blood staining. Ms Prior added that old and fresh blood stains were found on two pillows in Finley’s cot, which testing concluded was his own.

As the proceedings concluded for the day, Ms Prior said: “There is no doubt that this little baby suffered severe injuries that were inflicted on him, no doubt they would have been clear to anyone caring for him, no doubt he would have been in pain and stress, and no doubt that the infections he suffered because of those fractures would have been obvious.

“There is no doubt that these injuries and infections caused him to die, and there is no doubt that there are only two people who could have caused these injuries – Stephen Boden and Shannon Marsden.

“We say to you, when you have heard all of the evidence and considered, you will have no doubt that they murdered their son together, working together, always together against anyone in authority who might have been able to help. They were in it together then and they are in it together now.”

The trial continues.