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05/07/2024

02/07/2024

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28/02/2024

UVF recruiting ground’ row over controlled schools overshadows integrated education hearing at Westminster

A row over controlled schools being a “UVF recruiting ground” has overshadowed a discussion on integrated education at Westminster.
The controversy arose towards the end of today's meeting of the NI Affairs Committee.

MPs are examining the benefits of integrated education, the challenges of developing the sector, and the impact of the Integrated Education Act.

But the DUP’s Carla Lockhart took exception to some comments made during the session by integrated education campaigners.

Dr Matt O’Neill, chair of Integrated AlumNI, recounted his own education and told MPs of how his brother’s friend once arrived home talking about a careers class he had taken during his time at a controlled school.

“One day my brother came home from school talking about a careers class,” he recalled.

A friend had said he wanted to be a commander. The teacher asked: ‘The Air Force? The Armed Forces?’ He replied: ‘No, the UVF.’

“I am just very lucky my mother told us to think about other options. It was a big moment for me and changed my life.”

Peter Osborne, chair of the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), also told how he had gone to a controlled school in the 1970s, the number of Catholics at which he did not know.

“They would have been a small minority,” he said.

“They would have kept their heads down. That should not be what happens in our education system.”
Responding, Ms Lockhart said that some of the panel’s remarks had been “somewhat disappointing”, adding: “I feel they have been very derogatory towards the controlled sector. I feel they have been dismissive.

“And I would absolutely refute (sic) the characterisation around controlled-sector schools that you ‘had to keep your head down’ if you are from another religious background.

“I’m actually still in shock around the comment recounting ‘commander of the UVF’, giving a perception that controlled-sector schools are recruiting grounds of that nature.”

Ms Lockhart said NI had “amazing controlled schools”.

“I refute (sic) as well the preconception that has been given that controlled schools are closed shops for other people,” she added.

With the hearing closing, Mr Osborne attempted to respond to what he called “a totally unfair reflection” of what had been said.

“I feel I must take 20 seconds to reiterate the respect we have for the quality of education in other sectors,” he said.

“What they do is incredibly good. I’ve said that several times.”

MPs were told of hopes that a quarter of children in NI should be enrolled in integrated schools within the next decade.

If the Government is to back up the support voiced for the sector and for parental choice, parental votes should be held at every NI school on transforming to integrated status, Mr Osborne said.
Mr Osborne had told MPs a distinction had to be made between integrated and shared education: “Integrated is about children in the same class all the time, wearing the same uniform, learning, accepting, respecting each other in a constructive, positive way.

“Shared education is different schools maybe on the same site, but in different buildings, using sports facilities at a different time. It can accentuate the division.

“We are all in favour of parental choice, but let’s make it real: it takes £2,000-3,000 for an independent ballot to be held in any single school.

“The Prime Minister has said integrated schools should be the norm, not the exception. Over the next 25 years, let’s require every school in NI to have a ballot on integrated status; let’s give parents that choice. Savings overall will be way more than what it would cost to pay for that. It’s a bargain.”

He also said his organisation received no advance notice that 10 integrated schools and shared education projects would lose £150m in funding for capital building works as money from the Government’s Fresh Start programme was reallocated after the restoration of the Assembly.

Dr Keir Bloomer, chair of the Independent Review of Education, which published its report last December, said the focus must be on children learning together, promoting cohesion in a post-conflict society after finding “the atmosphere undesirable, competitive and adversarial”.

“A substantial number of schools transforming to integrated were threatened with closure,” he added.

“A significant part of the recent expansion in integrated schools is based on the number of schools on the margin of viability. Frankly, that’s not the way forward. We need something a bit more dynamic than that.” ​

Roisin Marshall, CEO of the NI Council for Integrated Education, responded that of 14 schools currently in pre-decision to transform to integrated, 10 of those are sustainable.

She added: “Just starting a desire to be diverse isn’t enough. All schools must think about how they can do that better.”

28/02/2024

We really made a difference’: Belfast shop to close as customers express regret

Belfast’s first dedicated zero-waste shop is to close its doors, it has been announced.
Refill Quarter, based in the east of the city, sold products without any disposable plastic packaging.

But they said on Wednesday that “quiet times” had led them to make the decision to close.

In a social media post, they said: “The time has come for us to say farewell.

“Five years ago we decided to open up Belfast’s first zero waste shop. It’s been a crazy journey, we’ve had the good times, the challenging times and, more recently, the quiet times and now we have reached the time for Refill Quarter to close

“But thanks to all of you, we really made a difference. Every single purchase was a choice to create change, to support personal values, to kick back at unsustainable systems, to make the world just a little bit less clogged. You did that. Together we made a difference.

The venture on Belmont Road was the brainchild of yoga teacher Susan McEwen and her two Refill Quarter co-founders, Alice Wilkinson and Phillip Rankin.

They are also the faces behind Yoga Quarter, a studio in Ballyhackamore which offers yoga classes.

The idea for Refill Quarter was born while running the yoga classes and opened in 2019 after the owners grew frustrated with the consumption of single-use coffee shops and bottles at the studio.

They were met with sadness from customers when the news of the closure was announced.

"So sorry to hear this and a little ashamed that I didn't go more often. We can all (or just me) become a little complacent and then this happens,” one said.

Loved my trips here and very sorry to see it close. Best of luck for whatever lies ahead and thank you for giving us the opportunity to shop in a more sustainable way,” said another.

It’s not yet clear whether the owners of Refill Quarter will return with another venture

28/02/2024

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28/02/2024

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28/02/2024

Prosecutions of PSNI officers accused of criminality must be sped up: Beattie

Delays in the prosecution of police officers accused of criminality are “undermining confidence” in policing, a member of Stormont’s justice committee has said.
A number of serving and retired officers are awaiting trial – in one case an officer is still going through the court system for offences alleged to have been committed 10 years ago.

28/02/2024

Marcus Rashford and Erik Ten Hag barely speaking after Belfast bender

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford and his manager Erik Ten Hag are barely on speaking terms after the footballer's infamous night in Belfast.
Staff at the club are said to be afraid their relationship has broken down for good, according to The Sun.

They said Ten Hag was furious with Rashford when he partied in Belfast, hitting Thompson's Garage and Lavery's until the earlier hours last month - despite being expected to train the next day.

The newspaper said the manager felt Rashford (26) tried to deceive him by claiming the incident took place 24 hours earlier than it did.

The player called in sick on January 26, just 48 hours before United were due to play Newport County in the FA Cup
He had flown on a private plane back to Manchester after drinking for 12 hours decked in Louis Vuitton and staying up until the early hours.

Ten Hag was furious and Rashford missed the Newport match after being fined £650,000 - but was restored for the following game away at Wolves, scoring in the opening minutes.

Although Ten Hag claimed the incident had been put behind them, staff are now concerned that the relationship between manager and player has broken down irrevocably.

It comes as Rashford continues to struggle to find the form that lead him to career best figures of 30 goals last season.

The Manchester United star later treated the Thompson's boss to VIP seats in his Old Trafford suite.

The nightclub’s manager, Mark McCourt, posted on Instagram a video showing him and pals living it up at the Red Devils’ Premier League clash with West Ham last Sunday.

It came with the caption, ‘Marcus Rashford suite,’ and a heart emoji. Alongside it, he wrote: “Bit of VIP treatment at the theatre of dreams”.

28/02/2024

Vulnerable woman ‘bullied’ into storing ammunition for terror group who shot man in head
‘I stashed those UDA bullets & balaclavas out of fear... I will never get over being labelled a terrorist’

A vulnerable woman who was bullied into storing ammunition for the UDA gang that shot Coleraine man Paul Fleming in the head says she’ll “never get over” being labelled a terrorist.
Jennifer Lennox – pictured by Sunday World for the first time – walked free from Antrim Crown Court on Friday after a judge handed her a suspended sentence for a raft of terror-related offences.

The court was told she stored the items out of fear after she’d witnessed loyalists torch the neighbouring home of the Quinn family in 1998.

Three young brothers were killed in that attack – one of the most deplorable acts of the Troubles.

Judge Devlin on Friday how the PSNI investigation began with the shooting of Paul Fleming in November 2020, when the 39-year-old was blasted with a sawn-off shotgun on the doorstep of his Coleraine home.

A man known only as Witness A contacted police to say that he saw a man stuffing an Adidas backpack into a hedge near the scene of the shooting.

When the bag was retrieved by a PSNI search team, officers discovered the shotgun, a handgun, a loaded magazine, two spent shotgun cartridges and three balaclavas.

All of the items were sent for forensic tests and scientists found mixed DNA profiles on two of the balaclavas – one from an unknown male and the other “major contributor” was Lennox.

Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce searched Lennox’s home at Carnany Avenue in Ballymoney on November 15, 2021.

When cops arrived at her door, “the defendant indicated to police there were bullets and balaclavas in her property”, said the judge.

Forty-eight balaclavas were found stashed in a holdall in a downstairs cupboard, 118 rounds of ammunition were found in three socks, the bomb-making recipe was uncovered in a chest of drawers and cops also spotted five bullets “lying loose on the floor”.

The 54-year-old mum-of-two admitted to having more than 100 rounds of ammunition under suspicious circumstances.

She also admitted to two counts of having items – namely 50 balaclavas and instructions for the construction and ingredients to make a blast bomb – “for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism”.

But Lennox is the most unlikely terrorist and it’s widely accepted UDA bullies took advantage of her vulnerabilities to force her to store the gear in her house.

On Friday, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday World, she revealed how she feared at one point she was going to be sent to jail for 15 years for keeping the items in her home in Ballymoney for over two years.

“I suffered a breakdown because of this,” Jennifer told the Sunday World. “I had no idea who Paul Fleming was, I’d never heard of him

When you listen to what the judge said (on Friday), I hope everyone will understand I wasn’t involved in anything to do with the UDA and knew nothing about the shooting of Paul Fleming.

“I couldn’t tell anyone about what they were storing in my house because they would have killed me.”

She said she became involved through a man she knew who “knew people in the UDA.”

“What could I do? I had no choice.

“Sure they even told me to sew some of the mouths shut in the balaclavas and I did it because I was so scared.

“I can’t believe I was prosecuted for this when they know I was really a victim of this gang. I lost my home and I took a nervous breakdown.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over being labelled some sort of terrorist. I thought I was going to go to jail for 15 years at one point on Friday.

“My solicitor had told me he thought I’d get a suspended sentence. He was even winding me up saying ‘hope you’ve brought your toothbrush’.

“But when the judge started talking about how 11 to 15 years would be normal for such offences, I started to panic.”

Jennifer says when she thought she was going to jail, her first thoughts were for her pet Yorkshire terrier Max. She worried about who would look after him.

“I was just thinking of my wee dog,” she told us. “It was such a massive relief to hear the judge finally say he was suspending the sentence.

“This has been dragging on from before Covid. I can’t believe it’s finally over and I can try and get on with my life. I’ve never been so glad in my life.

“I suffer from depression and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and it’s been so hard.”

And she believes she was set up by someone in the UDA gang.

“I was set up, I’m absolutely sure about it,” she said.

​“I was used and then they dumped me to the police and blamed me when I had nothing to do with them.”

In December 2020, the UDA fired a shotgun through the window of Fleming’s front door, hitting him in the head.

His family told the Sunday World it was a clear murder bid. Doctors informed them that if the bullet had been a quarter of a millimetre either side, he would have been killed.

Pictures of his horrific head injuries were posted on social media. The distressing images showed the aftermath of the point-blank-range attack.

Fleming’s family told us that just after the attack, Fleming had been targeted for supporting Celtic and getting involved in heated debates with loyalists on social media about Celtic and Rangers.

They described Fleming as a “decent guy” and a “mammy’s boy”. However, it later emerged he had riled loyalists in the area after he targeted a Protestant family who lived near him in Coleraine because they had displayed loyalist flags outside their house.

Last year, the Sunday World confronted him about a video showing him singing an anti-Protestant song which was shared on social media. However, he refused to comment at the time.

On Friday, the court heard “many members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) occupied the area” where Lennox was living when she was arrested.

Defence counsel John O’Connor revealed how Lennox had “witnessed her neighbour’s property being set on fire by UDA members”.

That property, it can be revealed, was the house where the Quinn boys were burned to death in a sectarian attack on July 12, 1998.

Her lawyer said she feared for the safety of herself and her family, which was why she kept the items and did not tell the police.

In a horrific incident that shocked the country at the height of the Drumcree standoff, the Quinn boys – Richard (11), Mark (9), and Jason (8) – were murdered in a firebomb attack on their home in Ballymoney.

When Lennox was arrested and interviewed, she conceded she knew what the items were but claimed she believed the papers seized were “baking recipes”.

She further claimed her DNA was found because she had been asked to sew the mouths of the balaclavas shut, adding that she had stitched black patches into around 10 of them.

Judge Devlin described how Lennox gave an account of a man she knew to have associations with the UDA coming to her home and ordering her to store the items. So, “fearing repercussions”, she held on to them.

“She was in fear of this male even though no direct threats have been made to her,” said the judge, emphasising it was this fear that stopped Lennox from naming him to police because “she was afraid of him and the possible repercussions”.

She told police that she knew the male had associations with the UDA and she believed that they had come to her because she was vulnerable,” said the judge, adding that during police interviews, Lennox was “genuinely upset and tearful”.

“The court has been told the assessment is that she was specifically targeted because she was perceived to be, and indeed was, vulnerable,” said Judge Devlin.

The judge added that while the “extended period” of two years storing the items was an aggravating feature, there were multiple mitigating factors.

They included Lennox’s clear record, her cooperation with police, the admissions and early guilty pleas, and that she has moved away and cut any associations she had to Ballymoney.

According to the pre-sentence, it was her previous associations and relationships in Ballymoney that brought her to the attention of the North Antrim UDA, being exploited by “seasoned offenders” and subsequently the offences for which she found herself in the dock.

Judge Devlin was satisfied that the case was exceptional and suspended her 11-month prison sentence for three years.

28/02/2024

Belfast shoe thief who walked out of shop tied to crime by DNA from pair he left behind

This is the thief who walked out of a shop wearing a pair of new designer sneakers, but got tied to the crime by the DNA from the pair he left behind.
Aaron Caughey walked out of a sports shop wearing a pair of £155 Nike Air Max 95 trainers he’d just asked to try on.

But he got an unexpected ‘tongue-lashing’ from police when they called at his house two months later – because the 30-year-old father-of-three had left his old trainers behind in the shop.

When detectives decided to send the old trainers to the lab for DNA testing, they identified the perpetrator.

Caughey appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court earlier this month and was fined £300 and also ordered to cough-up the £155 for the stolen trainers.
Nike’s famous motto is ‘Just Do It’ but when confronted by the Sunday World this week Caughey, from Balfour Avenue in south Belfast, admitted he probably shouldn’t have.

I was out of work at the time and I was walking about with a big hole in my trainers and it was pouring with rain,” he said.

“I just walked into the shop and picked the most expensive trainers they had on the shelf. It was very stupid and I know I shouldn’t have done it.

“Now with the fine they really are the most expensive trainers ever.”

Caughey says he couldn’t believe the police had used DNA testing to crack the crime.

“I thought I’d got away with it but I couldn’t believe it when I found out they’d sent the trainers off for DNA testing. That must have cost a fortune. It seemed a bit much when you consider all the crimes they can’t solve.

You read all the time about people waiting ages on the courts to get blood tests back for more serious crimes. Yet they had my trainers tested for DNA within two months!”

28/02/2024

Widower tells of ‘disgust’ wife was not attended to when her heart alarm went off
Disgraced care worker found dead up to 15 minutes after alert was triggered, inquest hears

The widower of a disgraced care worker told a coroner “it’s disgusting” his wife was left unattended by medics for up to 15 minutes after her heart monitor alarm sounded.
The inquest into the death of Lisa Marie Cullen (42) on September 23, 2020 resumed at Laganside Courthouse in Belfast yesterday.

28/02/2024

Kellogg's $5M a year CEO under fire for telling people to 'eat corn flakes for dinner' to save money amid rising prices

The CEO of cereal company Kellogg's has been criticised after suggesting that people struggling with the cost of living should eat cereal for dinner.
CEO Gary Pilnick, who is paid $5 million a year, became the CEO of Kellogg's back in October.
Pilnick acknowledged that many people are struggling with the rising cost of living, before suggesting that one way to afford food would be to eat cereal for dinner.

When asked if this messaging might 'land the wrong way', Pilnick replied that he didn't think that was an issue.
The interview comes as many people in the US face increasing costs across the board including in housing, fuel, and food prices.
Pilnick told CNBC: "The cereal category has always been quite affordable and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure."
He continued: "If you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they might otherwise do, that's going to be much more affordable."
The CEO went on to talk about how recent trends have indicated that more people are eating cereal for dinner.
He said: "It's landing really well right now. It turns out that over 25 percent of our consumption is outside the breakfast occasion.
A lot of it's at dinner. And that occasion continues to grow."
He also explained that they are also changing the size of their packs, saying: "We talk about making sure that we have the right pack at the right price in the right place.
"So having a different sized pack that'll have a different price point, that'll take some pressure off the consumer while they're shopping."
The interview has sparked fury online, with many people calling Pilnick 'out of touch' with the struggles that ordinary people face.

One person replied: "What an insult. I’m sure that’s what he feed his kids."

Another said: " People can no longer afford to feed their families and the best anyone can offer is peasant gruel with not only no nutritional value, but negative health consequences."
A third posted: "Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice a staple diet for peasants."
Belfast News has reached out to Kellogg's for comment.
While inflation in the US is slowing, food prices are one of the costs of living that is still increasing.
Between December 2023 and January 2024, food prices are nonetheless rising at a faster pace than the Consumer Price Index meaning that it is becoming more expensive to put food on the table.

28/02/2024

Police are becoming increasingly concerned for Ryan McLaughlin who is missing from the City. He was last seen on the 27th February in the vicinity of Shipquay Street.

Ryan is described as having short dark hair aged 17 and believed to be wearing black tracksuit bottoms, a grey hoody and carrying a red O’Neills sports bag.

If you have seen Ryan or can assist Police with locating him please call 101 quoting serial 1909 of the 27/02/24

Belfast & NI Biggest Headlines

28/02/2024

Police postpone scene investigation of crash which killed Co Down teenager
Cathal McCrory died following the incident near Katesbridge in November 2023

Police have postponed plans to return to the scene of a fatal crash which claimed the life of a Co Down teenager last year.
Cathal McCrory (18) died after an accident near Katesbridge on November 18 last year.

Two other people were taken to hospital following the single-vehicle collision, but the Dromore native, a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The PSNI’s Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) were due to return to the scene of the crash on the Circular Road, Katesbridge on Tuesday evening, but have postponed the investigation to a later date.

Cathal’s girlfriend, Skye Milliken (17) – alongside his two friends Riain and Ruairi McAvoy, his cousin Natasha Murray and his brother Ronan McCrory – have announced plans to complete a skydive in his memory to raise money for Air Ambulance NI.

Air Ambulance NI attended Cathal’s car collision and Skye said his “accident highlights the crucial role these services can play in providing rapid and life-saving assistance during emergencies”.

Skye explained that she came up with the idea for a skydive as her sister had previously completed one in honour of their older brother, who died by su***de in 2020.

“I thought it would be a good idea to keep Cathal’s memory alive while supporting a charity that saves multiple lives every day,” she told the Belfast Telegraph.

“Life without him has been hard and, honestly, the worst pain I’ve ever had to go through, but it’s made me appreciate life and living on this tiny island,” she added.

“His passing has made me realise that you do only live once and to never take it for granted.

“He always said to me: ‘I’m going to live the life I want, I don’t care what people think. You only live once.’ And that’s what he did.

He always lived his short life to the fullest, with no regrets.

“His death has brought our whole community closer together and made us all appreciate one another, but doing things like this to honour him makes me feel closer to him in a way.”

To date, the Go Fund Me page set up in Cathal’s memory has raised more than £3,700.

28/02/2024

Historic moment as Sinn Féin FM stands for God Save the King at Windsor Park
Michelle O’Neill said she had a “thoroughly enjoyable” evening while dFM Emma Little-Pengelly added that the NI Women’s team should be “immensely proud” of the result

History has been made after Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill stood for the UK national anthem at Windsor Park.
Ms O’Neill stood for the pre-match rendition of God Save the King alongside party colleague Aisling Reilly ahead of the NI women's team’s Nations League play-off second leg against Montenegro, which the home side won 3-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw on the night

The Mid Ulster MLA earlier said she was looking forward to a “great evening” as she attended a Northern Ireland match at Windsor Park for the first time.

Arriving along with deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP, the Sinn Féin vice president used the occasion to highlight the support needed for women’s sport.

She said it was “great to be here this evening” and that she was expecting a “great night”.

"Looking forward to the game, we are all bringing our layers to be wrapped up,” she added.

Both Ms O’Neill and Miss Little-Pengelly donned green attire for the occasion, with the latter also sporting an NI football scarf.

28/02/2024

Police urge vigilance after spate of burglaries across NI’s north coast
Tools, jewellery and cash were among the items taken.

Detectives in Coleraine are appealing for information and witnesses following a recent spate of burglaries in the area.
Detective Inspector Lavery said: “Police received a report on Sunday morning, February 25 of a break-in at a house in the Magheraboy Road area of Portrush.

“We believe the burglary occurred sometime overnight on Saturday evening, February 24.

“A chest of drawers had been rummaged through, and vehicles in the backyard of the property were opened but nothing was taken from them.

“A sum of money was also stolen, sentimental jewellery, electrical items and a designer handbag.

“On Sunday morning, February 25 we received a second report of an overnight burglary in the Ballymacrea Road area of Portrush.

The door to the rear of this property had been forced open and damaged, and a number of electrical tools were taken, as well as a sum of money.

“We are also linking a report of two burglaries in the Ballyvelton Road area of Coleraine that were reported to police this morning, Tuesday February 27.

“During the first report, sometime overnight a property was entered and a handbag containing a sum of money and bank cards were taken, as well as a set of house keys and a car key.

“A number of outhouses had also been broken into at this property, and a power drill had been taken from one of them.

“A large number of tools were taken as a result of the second break in from a shed in the Ballymacrea Road area.

“We also received a further report this afternoon, Tuesday February 27, of another burglary at a house in the Larkhill Road area of Portstewart.

“Cupboards and drawers throughout the property were opened and their contents were rummaged through.

“We are still making enquiries to determine what was exactly taken as a result of this break in, and we are investigating a potential link between all of these reports and have launched an investigation.

“Police would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity at any of these locations or CCTV, doorbell or dash-cam footage that could assist with enquiries, to contact us on 101, quoting reference 521 25/02/24.

“You can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

27/02/2024

This is the truest thing I’m seen all day 😭
We’re has society got us too?

27/02/2024

URGENT APPEAL
Police are looking for high risk missing person Jamie McLaughlin 15 years old.

He was last seen at around 445pm in the area of Creggan and may be in the area of Foyle Road.

He is described as being about 6’1”, slim, with short brown hair wearing a black bomber jacket, dark trousers and a dark hoody.
If you see him or know where he is police contact police on 101 or 999 quoting reference number 1313 of 27/02/24.”

Belfast & NI Biggest Headlines

27/02/2024

A mother accused of murdering her three-year-old son admits hitting him with a bamboo cane but says she was allowed to because the Bible told her “she should chastise her child”, a court heard.
Christina Robinson, 30, denies murdering Dwelaniyah at the family home in Bracken Court, Durham, in November 2022. She also denies a child cruelty offence.

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court that the little boy died from a head injury after he was violently shaken while in the sole care of his mother.

When the emergency services attended the property they found the three-year-old was heavily bandaged on his legs.

The defendant admits that she hit him with a weapon but says that she was allowed to do so because the Bible tells her that she should chastise her child
Richard Wright KC, prosecutor
A post-mortem examination showed he had tramline bruising on his body.

Mr Wright told jurors: “In this case the little boy had been repeatedly beaten with a bamboo cane by his mother.

A cane stained with his blood and with his body tissue attached to it was recovered from the family home.

“The defendant admits that she hit him with a weapon but says that she was allowed to do so because the Bible tells her that she should chastise her child.”

Robinson had contacted the emergency services by ringing 112 and told the call handler her son was not breathing and his eyes had gone “all weird”.

When paramedics arrived she claimed he had been eating a cheese bun when he suddenly went limp and collapsed.

She explained that Dwelaniyah was bandaged because he had burned himself “while messing about in the shower” weeks earlier.

She explained she had not taken him to hospital because the burns had caused him no problems and she was able to treat him at home, the court heard.

Doctors working on her son at the house quickly wanted him to be transferred to hospital as his heart had stopped.

Further attempts were made at hospital but he could not be saved.

A post-mortem examination revealed he had been the victim of a series of assaults and had sustained a number of non-accidental injuries, the jury was told.

Mr Wright said: “In other words, somebody had been deliberately hurting this little boy and had been doing so over a period of time.

That person was his mother, the defendant Christina Robinson.”

Mr Wright said the burns on his legs, buttocks and ge****ls would have caused “excruciating pain” when they were inflicted and in the days afterwards, and that would have been obvious to his mother.

Mr Wright added: “This was a mother who could not possibly take her son to hospital because she knew that questions would immediately be raised as to how on earth this little boy had sustained those terrible injuries, not to mention the others caused by her beating him with regularity.”

There was damage seen in both his brain and in his eyes
Richard Wright KC
The pattern of the burns showed they were caused by Dwelaniyah being “deliberately and forcibly immersed in scalding water”.

And the final, fatal injury was not caused by the three-year-old choking on a cheese bun, the court heard.

Mr Wright said: “Dwelaniyah died not from eating a cheese bap but because at the point of his terminal collapse, or very shortly before it occurred, he had sustained a major head injury.

“It was not an accidental head injury.

“It was one that had been quite deliberately inflicted upon him by the application of significant force.

“There was damage seen in both his brain and in his eyes.

“In combination these findings suggest a significant head injury in which trauma had been caused by excessive and forceful movement of the head of the type you might see in very forceful shaking.”

The prosecution opening continues on Tuesday afternoon.