Stepfather Sentenced For Murder After Claiming Stepson Choked

A British stepfather will spend more than two decades behind bars for the death of his 1-year-old stepson. Christopher Stockton initially claimed that Charlie Roberts had choked on a cookie, but an investigation later shut that story down. On Friday (February 7), the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) sentenced the British stepfather for murder. Prosecutors also came for the toddler’s mother, Paula Roberts. 

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British Court Determines Stepfather Did THIS 

According to a CPS press release, Charlie died on January 13, 2024, when he was 22 months old. Less than 20 minutes after the toddler’s mother left their home the day before, his stepfather rang emergency services.  CPS reports that Paula was headed to work, while the Durham Constabulary, local police, said she had an optician’s appointment.

Christopher Stockton reportedly told personnel that Charlie Roberts had stopped breathing while playing in a toy tunnel in the living room. Additionally, he claimed the boy had become “lifeless and floppy” and admitted that the boy had eaten a cookie earlier. He was basically suggesting that might’ve caused the boy to choke. However, when paramedics checked Charlie, they didn’t find anything blocking his airways. Instead, they found that the 22-month-old had a “serious head injury” and transported him by ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

“…despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he sadly never regained consciousness and died the following day. Experts said that, given the severity of the injury, it must have been sustained immediately before Stockton called an ambulance and was caused by severe trauma from being shaken or thrown,” Durham police said in their statement.

It’s unclear how exactly Charlie ultimately sustained the head injury, but Stockton will spend a minimum of 25 years behind bars for the incident.