The 18-month old was killed by his own mother Sian Hedges and Jack Benham in November 2020, in what has been described as a frenzied attack.
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00:00 Taking account of all the factors that I have set out, the minimum term will be 23 years,
00:06 minus 313 days to take account of time spent on remand.
00:13 The moment justice was done.
00:15 So it's 2.33, what I have to do at this moment in time is I have to arrest you on suspicion
00:19 of child neglect.
00:20 What?
00:21 Just listen to me.
00:22 So you don't have to say anything.
00:23 I'm not going to be treated in.
00:24 But it may harm your defence if you don't mention wing questions.
00:25 More than three years since he was killed, Alfie's mother Sian Hedges and her partner
00:29 Jack Benham faced life in prison for what the judge described as a vicious and brutal
00:35 attack.
00:36 Hedges faces at least 19 years in prison and Benham 23 years before being eligible for
00:42 parole.
00:43 Alfie's father Sam Phillips and his new partner Sarah Merritt hope this verdict means the
00:48 family can start a new chapter in their lives.
00:51 Nothing to bring Alfie back.
00:54 After a lengthy trial we finally got what we deserve for that little boy.
00:59 The outcome could have been a little bit better.
01:01 23 years and a 19. 19 years.
01:05 We've got the justice in our hearts.
01:08 For Alfie finally.
01:10 After three years.
01:12 And we're all pleased.
01:14 Yeah, yeah justice is served.
01:17 Justice has been done.
01:18 They thought they were going to get away with it, I think.
01:21 But like I say, nothing's going to bring Alfie back.
01:25 But we can sleep now knowing that they're not coming out of prison now for a very, very,
01:31 very long time.
01:32 We can move on.
01:33 Thank you.
01:34 Cheers.
01:35 Thank you.
01:36 Cheers.
01:37 Alfie sustained around 50 injuries including bites, bruises and fractures.
01:43 It must have taken some considerable time to inflict these injuries on Alfie.
01:47 The pain and fear that he must have suffered is almost unimaginable.
01:52 These are just some of the details a judge read out in court surrounding Alfie's death.
01:57 Some are too disturbing to air.
02:00 And while we now have a clearer picture of a drug-fuelled evening gone wrong,
02:04 police say that we'll never know the truth about what happened.
02:08 I think that Alfie was fine when he went into that caravan.
02:12 I think the evidence tells us that there was a joint attempt to assault him.
02:17 Who did what exactly to Alfie, we will never know.
02:20 Only Jack Venom and Shark Hedges will know exactly what they did to Alfie.
02:24 But both played a significant part in the injuries which led to his death.
02:28 But it was what was said in the victim's personal statements that were particularly heart-rending.
02:34 In an impact statement read out in court on behalf of Stan Phillips, Alfie's father,
02:39 Alfie was described as the sweetest little baby into everything,
02:44 loved climbing on everything with a smile that could light up any room.
02:49 William Bodium from the CPS South East said that this is an absolutely tragic case.
02:56 Alfie was killed by two people,
02:59 one of whom was his mother who was responsible that night for looking after him and protecting him.
03:05 The judge made clear that no one else was present on the night of Alfie's murder in 2020.
03:12 That they were the only ones there and that they blamed each other and did not tell the whole truth.
03:18 First framing it as an accident and then blaming each other for the attack.
03:24 The judge described Jack Venom as the prime remover in the attack on Alfie with Shane in a secondary role,
03:32 but he still took part.
03:35 As part of the mitigating factors for Shane Hedges,
03:38 Jo Martin Casey brought up her borderline personality traits,
03:43 her depression and anxiety stemming from childhood trauma.
03:48 While justice may have been served today, it does not heal the pain that has been left behind.
03:53 Oliver Leeds for the SACS reporting for KMTV.