A 10-month-old baby murdered by his parents weeks after being placed back into their care “should have been one of the most protected children”, a safeguarding review concluded.
Finley Boden’s parents, Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden, inflicted 130 injuries on their son before he fatally collapsed at his family home in Old Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Christmas Day 2020. He had been returned to their care on November 17 that year by a family court, despite social services raising concerns over Boden and Marsden’s drug use and the state of the family home.
Court documents show that Finley was ordered to be returned within eight weeks even though Derbyshire County Council asked for a four-month transition to address “some concerns” it had over Marsden and Boden’s parenting and use of cannabis.
Marsden and Boden were handed life sentences with respective minimum terms of 27 and 29 years at Derby Crown Court in May. After returning home the pair inflicted 130 separate injuries on the 10-month-old before his fatal collapse in 2020, including 71 bruises, 57 bone breaks and fractures, and burns.
Finley had fractures to his collarbones and thighs, while his pelvis had been broken in two places, possibly from sustained "kicking or stamping", with injuries likened to a multi-storey fall. He also had two burns on his left hand - one "from a hot, flat surface", the other probably "from a cigarette lighter flame", the court heard.
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Shannon Marsden (PA)
Stephen Boden (PA)Text messages between the couple showed how they conspired together on ways to hurt him, despite Marsden expressing to her loved ones that Boden might seriously harm Finley. In one message, the couple described wanting "to bounce him off the walls".
Paramedics who arrived in the early hours of Christmas Day at the house noticed Finley had dirty fingernails and clothes, and believed he had been dead for longer than Boden and Marsden were suggesting, the court heard. As Finley lay lifeless in a messy home, with his own cot stained from blood and faeces, Marsden and Boden were heard asking what food was to be served at a family dinner on Christmas Day.
And the killer parents were also seen laughing and joking at a family gathering on Boxing Day, with Boden later telling a relative that they delayed calling an ambulance so they could hide their drugs.
On Wednesday, the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership published the findings of its Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into Finley’s death.
Shannon Marsden with Finley a month before his death (PA)
Stephen Boden pictured holding Finley (PA)The review, which has been anonymised, said: “In this instance, a child died as the result of abuse when he should have been one of the most protected children in the local authority area." It also stated that, while Finley’s parents were responsible for his death, “professional interventions should have protected him”.
It said the “most significant professional decision” was that he should live with his parents, and concluded that “the safeguarding environment in which that decision was made had been incrementally weakened by the decisions, actions, circumstances and events which preceded it”.
Most of what had been experienced by Finley in the final weeks of his life “was unknown to professionals working with the family at that time”, the report said. But it added: “The review has found, nevertheless, that safeguarding practice during that time was inadequate.”
Derbyshire County Council’s children’s services said it accepted there had been “missed opportunities” in the case. The council’s executive director for children’s services, Carol Cammiss, said: “Finley’s death was a tragedy for everyone who knew him and everyone involved in his care. We are deeply saddened by his death and our thoughts are with everyone who loved him.
“Despite the significant Covid restrictions placed on our work at the time, we know there were missed opportunities for stronger practice and we apologise for that. We did not wait for the outcome of this review – we took immediate action to review and strengthen our systems and continue to monitor the way we work with babies and families.
Finley was found to have suffered 130 "appalling" injuries, a court heard. (Derbyshire Police)“Safeguarding children in Derbyshire is our highest priority and the council accepts the findings and recommendations of the review and takes full responsibility for its actions in this case.”
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And the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership said it will “take the additional action necessary to further reduce the risk of a repeat of a similar incident” in the wake of a review into the circumstances leading up to the death of Finley Boden.
The partnership’s independent chairman and scrutineer, Steve Atkinson, said: “I offer my sincere condolences to Finley’s family and apologise on behalf of the partnership for what happened. The partnership agencies took early steps to improve systems and practices, responding quickly to an immediate review of Finley’s death and the circumstances in which it took place.
“In accepting in full the recommendations of this review – commissioned by the Partnership, completely independently of Derbyshire and the organisations involved – agencies will take the additional action necessary to further reduce the risk of a repeat of a similar incident. The Partnership Board continues to seek evidence that these changes are fully implemented and will undertake regular reviews to ensure that they have the necessary impact to help keep vulnerable local children safe.”
At their sentencing last year, Mrs Justice Amanda Tipples said Marsden and Boden were “persuasive and accomplished liars” who “brutally assaulted” their son. She said: "You both knew that Finley was very seriously ill and dying... yet you deliberately failed to seek any medical help for him and you made sure that he was not seen by anyone that could have rescued him and taken him away from your care.
"He was subject to repeated abuse on multiple occasions. Once the injuries had been inflicted, Finley's daily experience was one of considerable pain, distress and suffering. It was obvious to both of you by December 16 that Finley was very seriously injured, and he was utterly miserable.
"He was no longer able to sit up and play with his toys. He was unable to feed himself." She added: "By the evening of December 23 he was plainly dying. There was nothing subtle about this at all. It was plainly obvious to both of you." Immediately before she passed the sentence, the judge said: "Neither of you have shown any remorse at all for what you have done."
Marsden and Boden were handed life sentences with respective minimum terms of 27 and 29 years at Derby Crown Court in May. On Wednesday, the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership published the findings of its Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into Finley's death.
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