Shocking moment: ‘Cruel’ mother who killed son in ‘campaign of violence’ lies to police he choked on cheese bread

This is the shocking moment a mother lied to police that her young son had choked on cheesecake after beating him to death in a “campaign of cruelty”.

Christina Robinson, 30, became angry and violently shook three-year-old Dwelaniyah at the family home in Bracken Court, Ushaw Moor, Durham, in November 2022.

In previous weeks, she had deliberately plunged him into boiling water, causing severe burns which would have caused excruciating pain.

She treated her injuries herself and did not seek medical help, as safety concerns would have been evident if a health worker had seen her.

Following his murder conviction Thursday, police released footage of Robinson’s interview where she told officers her son often had trouble chewing his food.

She said of that fateful day: “He had a whole brown cob with grated cheese.

“I didn’t see him right away, but I saw out of the corner of my eye that his head had fallen.

“I could hear the sound of you drowning and trying to gasp for air.”

Robinson, a member of the Black Hebrew Israelite faith, admitted to hitting the little boy with a bamboo cane, but claimed she was following a Bible passage that advised the use of the rod for the “correction” of children .

She told Newcastle Crown Court the reason she used the cane was because the youngster was playing with her food.

The defendant, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was also convicted of four charges of child cruelty.

The jury found that Robinson caused a fatal brain injury to her son on Nov. 5, 2022, when she was the only adult in the home.

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It took her more than 20 minutes before she dialed 999, first speaking to her husband on the phone while he was on duty in the RAF 240 miles away, then using Google to look up how to resuscitate a child.

When emergency services arrived, Robinson appeared calm as she explained her version of events to a police officer while medics worked desperately on Dwelaniyah.

Despite their efforts at the scene, Dwelaniyah could not be saved and probably died at home, although further attempts to resuscitate him were made at the hospital.

The autopsy revealed that he had been the victim of a series of assaults and had suffered a number of non-accidental injuries.

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said: “In other words, someone had deliberately hurt this little boy and had done so over a period of time.

“That person was his mother, the defendant Christina Robinson.”

In his closing address, Mr Wright told the court: “He was subjected to a campaign of violence and cruelty at the hands of his mother over trivial misdeeds. »

Her husband, Dwelaniyah’s father, Gabriel Adu-Appau, was away from the family home when his son was repeatedly injured.

He played no role in the trial.

His wife used a sperm donor to try to conceive, and in October 2022, she also made contact with a man named Chisom Innocent Onoja through a dating app.

When she became pregnant, Robinson was in regular contact with medical professionals, although she was unwilling to seek treatment for her son’s injuries.

Judge Garnham will pass sentence on May 24, giving the defendant time to seek legal representation after parting ways with her team just before the end of the trial.

He thanked the jury, some of whom were visibly upset, for their “obvious care and attention,” and excused them from further service for 20 years.

The judge said: “Looking at you I know this has been a stressful process, you need to get away and do something else and think of something more joyful.

“I am extremely grateful for everything you have done.”

Outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Simon Turner said: “Christina Robinson lied from the start, and I am pleased the jury saw through her lies and convicted her today.

“This is a truly horrific case that has affected everyone involved.

“I would like to thank our investigative team for their dedication and commitment to achieving justice for Dwelaniyah.

“My thoughts are with those who truly care about Dwelaniyah.

“Unfortunately, nothing can bring him back to life, but we hope that today’s verdict will provide closure and allow them to grieve.”