Sian Hedges and Jack Beckham: mother and former partner jailed after 18-month-old son Alfie Philips murdered in Kent caravan

A mother and her former partner have been jailed for the murder of her 18-month-old son.

Alfie Philips was murdered after Sian Hedges, 27, and Jack Benham, 35, beat and smothered him during a whisky and cocaine-fuelled attack in Benham's caravan in Hernhill, Kent on November 28, 2020. The young child suffered more than 70 injuries to his body including broken arms, ribs and legs and was found to have traces of cocaine in his system.

Hedges, who had denied that she had ever harmed her son, has now been sentenced to 19 years behind bars for his murder, while Benham was sentenced to 23 years, both minus 313 days which they have already spent in custody on remand. They were both found guilty after a unanimous verdict was reached in under 10 hours by the jury sitting on their trial.

In a victim impact statement read in court, Alfie’s father Sam Phillips said: “After the trial we still feel we deserve answers. I will never know the truth about what happened to my son. I never got to hear him say his first proper words, I never got to have a conversation with him, I was robbed of the opportunity to see him grow up.”

Mr Justice Cavanagh described Alfie's murder as a "great tragedy" in his sentencing remarks, adding that he was not given the opportunity to "enjoy a full and happy life”. He said: “He had a cheeky grin and was full of energy and life. He was into everything and interested in everything. He melted the hearts of everyone he met.

“The victim impact statements of his father, Sam Phillips, and his grandfather, Mark Demain, vividly illustrate how much he was loved and how much grief and devastation his murder has caused to those who loved him. It is a great tragedy that Alfie did not have the chance to grow up and to enjoy a full and happy life.”

He told Hedges and Benham: “Your first thoughts were for yourselves. You lied about what had happened in the caravan, and you maintained your lies through police interviews and at trial.”