Finley Boden: Chesterfield dad 'risks being regarded as a lazy stereotype' and blamed for baby son's murder

But videos showed Stephen Boden as caring for the ten-month-old toddler and making him giggle, said defence KC Simon Kealey.

He made the points as he began summing up the case for the defence of Boden, 30, who denies the murder of his son Finley in Chesterfield.

Finley's mother Shannon Marsden, 22, pleads not guilty to the same charge.

Mr Kealey said: "Shannon Marsden is, to put it fairly bluntly, a pathological liar who will lie, manipulate any situation and is prepared to make false accusations to save her skin.

"It is almost too easy to blame Stephen Boden, how convenient and that is what Shannon Marsden wants you to believe.

"It is too easy to blame him. He is a man, had a temper and had been to prison.

"It is a very easy tag, a lazy stereotype."

Finley spent 39 days with the couple in a rented house in Holland Road, Old Whittington. He died on Christmas Day 2020 and was found to have 130 injuries, including 59 bone fractures.

Mr Kealey referred to home videos which have been played to the jury of five women and seven men.

They show Finley on the sofa, with Boden "making him giggle. These are important little snapshots," said Mr Kealey. Another showed the toddler with the family dog.

Mr Kealey said there was no evidence to back Marsden's claim that she was "banned from having anything to do with Finley."

Mr Kealey went on: "She wanted to be able to say 'I had no opportunity to hurt Finley.'"

When he noticed that Finley was ill, Boden felt it could be Covid. He arranged to get a test and checked priority postboxes to ensure its swift delivery.

"He did what he thought was reasonable at the time to protect Finley. We were only a few months into the pandemic when there was considerable feeling and uncertainty whenever anyone fell ill," said Mr Kealey.

As Christmas approached, it was clear they did not expect Finley to die, he said.

"They were getting ready for Christmas, they were stocking up on food, buying presents and for Finley, stocking up on formula milk," said Mr Kealey for Boden of Romford Way, Barrow Hill.

He went on to refer to the couple meeting after Finley's death, when bail conditions banned them from getting together. On Boden's part, he described it as "love blindness."

But he said that Marsden tried manipulate Boden by sending him Valentine's Day and Father's Day cards as well as discussing marriage.

He said that Boden should be cleared of murder, manslaughter, causing or allowing the death of a child. These charges are denied by both of them.

Mr Kealey added: "He simply did not appreciate precisely how ill Finley was and took reasonable steps at the time in the midst of the uncertainty with Covid."

The case continues with Andrew Vout KC summing up the defence case for Marsden, who is of no fixed address.