Charlie Roberts: Man who shook toddler to death after staying up all night playing video games jailed for life

Christopher Stockton, 38, was in sole care of 22-month-old Charlie Roberts at their home in Darlington when he inflicted a fatal head injury in January 2024. The toddler suffered extensive brain trauma comparable to injuries seen in severe car accidents or multi-story falls.

Stockton, who had moved in with the child’s mother, Paula Roberts, just a week before the incident, called 999, claiming that Charlie had choked on a biscuit. In the emergency call, he was heard desperately saying, “Come on mate” and “wakey wakey,” but paramedics later found no evidence of choking. Charlie was taken to the hospital but died the next day.

A pattern of abuse and neglect emerged during the investigation. Prosecutors revealed that Charlie had suffered repeated injuries leading up to his death. His mother, 41-year-old Roberts, admitted neglecting him by failing to seek medical treatment for bruising inflicted by Stockton over several weeks. The court heard that despite her concerns, she remained in a relationship with Stockton and had even installed a hidden camera above her son's cot to monitor him.

Stockton denied harming the child, but a jury at Teesside Crown Court found him guilty of murder and child cruelty. The court also heard that he inflicted an “excruciatingly painful” injury to the toddler’s genitals, which went untreated.

Justice Goss, sentencing, condemned Stockton’s actions:"You have robbed his family of the joy of bringing up a child and of sharing life events with him. No court can undo the harm you have caused."

Roberts was sentenced to four years in prison for child neglect. The judge dismissed her claims that she was controlled by Stockton, stating that she had "turned a blind eye to what you must have known was the reality of the situation." He added that she remained a risk to any children in her care.

During the trial, prosecutor Nicholas Lumley KC told jurors that Stockton had either "shaken or thrown him with such violence, deliberately and forcefully harming little Charlie.” Stockton, who had stayed up late playing Xbox and was off work ill, “must have snapped that morning”, Lumley said.

In his defence, Jamie Hill KC argued that Stockton had no prior convictions and did not intend to kill the child. Meanwhile, Richard Herrmann, representing Roberts, said she had struggled with mental health issues. She wept in court as he said: "She has to live with the knowledge that had she acted differently, it would not have happened."

Charlie’s father, Barry Greenwell, shared his grief after Stockton’s conviction:"Charlie was a much-loved son and grandson who has been taken away needlessly, and has left the whole family with a void that will never be filled."

Detective Superintendent Chris Barker described the case as "truly heart-breaking". He said: “Charlie Roberts was a little boy who just wanted to play. A little boy who just wanted to be loved. A little boy who did not deserve to die. Christopher Stockton’s actions are unforgivable."