Hythe mum Chelsea Cuthbertson jailed for nine years over manslaughter of her six-week-old son
A HYTHE mum convicted of the manslaughter of her tiny six-week-old son has been jailed for nine years.
Chelsea Cuthbertson (28), was told by the Judge Mr Justice Spencer she will serve six years – minus 169 days she has spent on bail – before being released on licence.
The punishment relates to the death of Malakai Watts in February 2019. "He was a helpless baby. Your duty as a mother was to protect him," Mr Justice Spencer said.
"Instead you shook him knowing it was dangerous to do so," he continued, noting she likely took out on Malakai "frustrations" she had with her domestic situation and partner, Del Watts.
Cuthbertson was sent down at Winchester Crown Court after a jury found her guilty of a manslaughter charge in relation to Malakai’s death. She was cleared of the tot’s murder.
Mr Justice Spencer said the sentence means her three other children, who now live with another person, will not see Cuthbertson for a long time. He also castigated Cuthbertson for trying to pin the blame on Mr Watts – who was also Malakai’s father.
"You knew he was innocent and how distressing it must have been to him to have been accused of killing his own son," he told her.
Cuthbertson’s trial focused on what happened in the half an hour or so before she called paramedics just after 9.30am on 2nd February 2019 to her two-bedroom Knightwood Road flat.
She reported Malakai had collapsed and was unresponsive and later claimed she went outside to smoke a cannabis joint briefly only to return and find the infant had stopped breathing. Police at the scene noted a "strong" smell of cannabis in her home.
The medics managed to restart Malakai’s heart but it was weak, and after he was rushed to Southampton General Hospital and treated in its Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in what was effectively an induced coma, medics struggled to control seizures he was having.
A CT scan indicated bleeds on his brain and damage to his brain stem, and medics decided by 6th February he should be given palliative care and his life support switched off. He died at 1.48pm.
Subsequent investigations found Malakai’s cause of death to be "non-accidental" with a post-mortem identifying he had also suffered eight rib fractures.
At her trial prosecutors said Malakai suffered "very traumatic head injuries" that "likely were inflicted by some form of shaking, possibly with some form of impact".
It emerged Cuthbertson and Mr Watts had woken to feed Malakai and his twin at 4am on 2nd February, but Mr Watts had found her irritable, so slept in the lounge alone before leaving for work shortly before 9am. He denied having anything to do with Malakai’s death.
The court also heard of rows the couple regularly had; many involved Cuthbertson chastising his involvement with the children and telling him to leave.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Spencer said it was likely four of Malakai's fractures were caused by paramedics performing CPR.
The other three rib fractures and historic fracture inflicted on an earlier occasion, must have been caused by Cuthbertson, he said.
"Only you know what really happened in that intervening half hour but I am quite sure that in that half hour you inflicted the fatal injuries to Malakai and caused him those three rib fractures," the judge told her.
Rebecca Cox, CPS Wessex District Crown Prosecutor, said it had been "an incredibly sensitive and thorough investigation", adding: "The death of a baby in any circumstances is an utter tragedy and our thoughts are firmly with Malakai’s family."
