Yahoo News Neighbours of County Durham child killer Christina Robinson waiting to see her get the punishment she deserves
Still horrified by the unthinkable cruelty inflicted on an innocent little boy on their doorsteps, former neighbours of child killer Christina Robinson are today hoping she is locked up for good.
Three-year-old Dwelaniyah Robinson suffered a horrific campaign of abuse at the hands of his own mum before she eventually killed him at their County Durham home. Robinson is due to be sentenced today after she was convinced of murder and child cruelty by a jury who hear how she scalded the little boy as a punishment, hit him with spoons, slapped him and used a bamboo cane on him, before shaking him to death.
The horror unfolded behind the doors of Robinson's privately rented home on Bracken Court in Ushaw Moor. New tenants have now moved into the semi-detached house, but others living on the street have struggled to forget what happened there. And now as Robinson waits to discover her fate neighbours have told of their hopes that she gets the sentence she deserves.
Colin Malone, who lived two doors down from the killer, said he was disgusted when he read what she had done."
The 76-year-old said: "I'm just hoping she never gets out again. It's just terrible what she did. I read it in the paper and I just felt sick. He was just a defenceless child. I hope life means life."
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Robinson, 30, called for an ambulance shortly after 4pm on Saturday, November 5, claiming her son was not breathing having choked on a cheese sandwich. But emergency workers never found a blockage in his throat or any food large enough to cause an obstruction surrounding his body as they desperately tried to save him. Dwelaniyah was rushed to the University Hospital of North Durham but pronounced dead a short time after his arrival.
The youngster was found to have injuries all over his body including serious burns to his bottom and the upper parts of his legs, which were sustained up to three weeks before his death. The court heard she had scalded him as a punishment for soiling himself. A post-mortem found he died from a head injury that could only have been caused by shaking or being thrown against something.
Police also found a cane in the house, which Robinson used to hit Dwelaniyah if he misbehaved, claiming she was following the Bible.
Robinson, who is said to have lied to police and the courts throughout the investigation and trial, denied murdering Dwelaniyah, but was convicted by the jury.
"She didn't seem bothered," said Colin. "She should have been horrified at what she had done to her own child. It's the fact that it's her own child. It's terrible. "When she goes inside she will have a rough time because she's a child killer."
While neighbours would often see Robinson in the street many said they did not even know of Dwelaniyah's existence. Christopher Cassidy said he was stunned when emergency services flooded the street that Saturday afternoon.
"I didn't know anything them or what was going on," he said. "It was a complete shock. I remember it well. It was a Saturday afternoon. I was thinking, 'what was going on'. It's shocking that little kid has lost his life. He never had a chance."
Dad-of-five Steven Wilkinson, who lives across the road, said he wished someone had spotted what was happening.
The 48-year-old said: "It's horrible, I read some of the things about the bamboo cane. Everyone was horrified. To think that was going on just over there is horrific. You don't expect that in a nice quiet street like this. It's just right over the road.
"I don't know how nobody heard. They just looked like a normal family, you never know what's going on behind closed doors. If only someone had said something or done something. It had been going on for a while."
