Killer stepmum who filmed boy, 3, as he lay dying instead of calling 999 after sending his dad chilling text is jailed
A KILLER stepmum who filmed her three-year-old stepson as he lay dying before sending her partner a chilling text has been jailed.
Harvey Borrington suffered a fractured skull and bleed on the brain after being slapped ";multiple" times in the head.
The stricken toddler was filmed moaning on the living room floor by Leila Borrington, who claimed she made the harrowing clip to show paramedics.
Before eventually calling 999, the 23-year-old texted Harvey's dad, asking: "Why does this always happen to me?"
She later sent another message reading: "Don't leave the kids with me again."
Borrington has now been jailed for 15 years after she was convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder.
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She was also convicted of assault and causing grievous bodily harm after attacking Harvey on separate occasions.
In an emotional victim impact statement, Harvey's mum Katie Holroyd fought back tears as she described her pain at losing her "beautiful boy".
She said: "He was everything to me.
"Since the 9th August, 2021, not a day has gone by where we haven't woken up broken by the thought that will will never hold him again, hear his laugh or watch him grow up.
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"Harvey's life was cruelly ended when he was only three years old, killed by the very person who was trusted to care for him and protect him.
"To this day I cannot bear to think of him lying on that floor dying with her filming him and delaying getting medical help for him.
"To have it confirmed that Harvey, before his death, had been assaulted by Leila Borrington will be a lifelong torment for now. A recurring nightmare which I will never be able to wake from."
Nottingham Crown Court heard how the stepmum was looking after the boy at home in Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire, when the horror unfolded.
Harrowing footage showed Harvey, who was autistic and non-verbal, lying motionless on a rug in the living room.
The tragic toddler could be heard moaning as Borrington yelled "Harvey, Harv" before sending the three-minute clip to his dad.
Sickeningly, she even picked up Harvey's arm and dropped it to the floor before finally ringing 999 to claim he had fallen.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC said: "The tone of her voice, when calling Harvey's name, in her attempts to rouse him - if that's an accurate description, we say it is not - suggest an absence of compassion.
"The lifting and dropping of his arm in that way, similarly, appears to show indifference to the obvious severity of his condition."
Paramedics arrived to find Harvey "floppy" and unconscious so decided to rush him to hospital.
On the way, Borrington told the ambulance driver "it always happened when Harvey was with her".
She also text her partner, saying: "[Harvey] got up and was running riot, playing happily as ever, running between the sofas and then stood up on one and just came backwards…smacking his head off the floor."
Harvey tragically couldn't be saved and died on August 9, 2021 - two days after falling ill at home.
A post mortem revealed he had suffered trauma to the head, which had caused damage to the brain.
Medics found he had sustained other injuries in the weeks leading up to his death - including a broken arm, scrape on his back and marks on his ears and face.
Borrington tried claiming the injuries were either self-inflicted or happened when she pulled Harvey up after he tripped on the stairs.
But jurors were told the stepmum had "twisted and turned" her story to suit the evidence.
The prosecutor also said Borrington targeted Harvey as he was unable to communicate when he was in pain.
Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This was a tragic incident that shocked the local community.
"Harvey was a much-loved little boy who was cherished by his parents and his wider family.
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"As a police officer I am pleased with the decision of the jury in this case, but I acutely aware that it is of no consolation to those left behind.
"This has been a very lengthy and difficult investigation and I would like to thank everyone involved in getting us to this point."
