Father jailed for murder 21 years after he smothered two-year-old son with pillow

A father has been jailed for life for the murder of his son, who died 18 years after he was smothered with a pillow at the age of two.

Alan Bird, 48, was given a life sentence on Monday with a minimum of eight years in prison.

He was convicted last week following a trial at Leeds Crown Court of the murder of his son, Lewis Turner.

Lewis, who was left with severe disabilities after the attack by his father, died aged 19 at the home of his adoptive parents in Leeds on 18 July 2019.

In 2001, Bird had suffocated Lewis at their home in West Yorkshire when his son was two years old, leaving him with permanent brain injuries.

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At the time, Bird was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and child cruelty and served five years in prison of an eight-year sentence.

But he was charged with murder and subsequently convicted after Lewis died three years ago.

After the attack in 2001, paramedics found Lewis covered in bruises and "deathly pale" when they were called to the property.

He was rushed to hospital where a scan revealed he had suffered devastating injuries as a result of his brain being starved of oxygen.

The court heard how Lewis developed a "myriad of conditions" after the attack, which included cerebral palsy.

His speech, hearing and sight were impaired and he had to be fed through a tube.

The cause of death was given as peritonitis caused by an infection from his feeding tube.

Prosecutor Richard Wright QC said: "The death of Lewis Turner was not some freak infection that took the life of a healthy boy.

"It was instead the final consequence of a deliberate assault on Lewis by Alan Bird.

"His feeding tube caused the infection to develop.

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"He only had that feeding tube as a direct consequence of the defendant attacking him."

Sentencing Bird, an abattoir manager from Common Road, Batley, Mr Justice Jacobs told him: "Lewis, as a consequence of your attack, had suffered irreversible brain injury that left him with profound problems.

"The jury were sure that your original actions in 2001 were a significant cause of Lewis's death in 2019.

"In July 2002 you pleaded guilty at this court to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and an offence of child cruelty.

"That reflected the generally cruel manner in which you treated him before you smothered him."

Detective Inspector James Entwistle, of Leeds District CID at West Yorkshire Police, said: “This is an absolutely tragic case where a child has ultimately had their life taken away from them by their parent, who should have been there to care for and protect them.

“Lewis was initially left with severe disabilities after being seriously assaulted by Bird and died as a direct result of his actions, which were the violent culmination of a pattern of abuse and neglect of this little boy.

“Despite the care and support of his adoptive parents, Lewis’s quality of life was catastrophically reduced by the extensive disabilities caused to him by his father.

“Bird has rightly been convicted of murdering Lewis and the responsibility for his death rests solely with him."

In a statement, Lewis’s adoptive family said: “Lewis is greatly missed by all of us.

"From the moment we adopted Lewis, we tried to provide him with as normal a life as possible, despite the severe injuries he had sustained.

“We are grateful that we were able to have so many fun and happy times with Lewis and make memories that we will always treasure.

"Lewis brought us so much joy, laughter and love whenever he was around. Lewis will always be with us.”