A man who killed a two-year-old child is being terrorized in prison by inmates who have put a price on his head.
Craig Smith, 28, has been jailed for life for murdering his stepson Teddy by striking him in the stomach so hard that the toddler suffered massive internal bleeding.
Smith, from the town of Birkenhead in the UK, will serve a minimum term of 17 years. Teddy’s mother Ashleigh Willett, 25, is also being convicted of child cruelty after “failing to secure medical assistance” for Teddy and his twin sister Cassidy.
Inmates have apparently stolen Smith’s belongings and put a price on his head.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said, “We do not comment on individuals,” according to the Echo.
Earlier this year Smith called emergency services saying that Teddy had “swallowed water” in the bath. Smith could be heard weeping in the call, describing Teddy as “blue.”
But a post-mortem showed that Teddy had died from a huge tear to the tissue connecting the intestines to the abdominal wall.
Experts said in the trial that the injury must have been caused by a blow to the stomach most likely from a punch or kick.
Teddy was also found to have a bleed on the brain and bruises to his head, ear, upper lip, neck, jaw, abdomen, and back, according to reports.
The jury heard how Smith had “struggled with anger” throughout his life and had once stabbed his mother in the face.
Teddy’s mother Ashleigh Willett has been bailed to be sentenced in the future.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Denn of Merseyside Police said in a statement, “The death of two-year-old Teddy Tilston was a senseless tragedy.”
He added, “Craig Smith was not previously known to police for incidents of violence but Teddy and Cassidy never stood a chance against his acts of aggression resulting in the tragic death of Teddy.”
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