Gran of premature baby boy shaken to death by his mum’s ‘wicked’ boyfriend days after leaving hospital reveals torment
THE grandmother of a premature baby boy shaken to death by his mum’s “wicked” boyfriend days after leaving hospital has revealed her torment.
Carl Alesbrook, 19, shook four-month-old Elijah Shemwell so violently he suffered “catastrophic” brain injuries and broken bones.
The baby, who had been born premature, suffered whiplash-type injuries at the monster’s hands – including rib and limb fractures and brain damage.
Alesbrook shook the child on at least three separate occasions just weeks after meeting his mum, India.
He was convicted of murder following a trial at Derby Crown Court and today jailed for a minimum of 14 years.
Tragic Elijah’s maternal gran still mourns the loss of the beloved “gorgeous little boy”, while trying to come to terms with her own daughter’s involvement in the tot’s fate.
India, who was aged 21 at the time but is now 23, admitted to two counts of child cruelty – including the fact she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
She has also been sentenced to three years.
Rachael Shemwell, speaking exclusively to The Sun has opened up about her torment, admitting “it’s heartbreaking” but adding: “We are a supportive family.”
Breaking her silence following four-month-old Elijah’s murder in January 2022, Rachael added: “My daughter is absolutely devastated by her baby’s death and she can’t get her head around why he did it, no one can.
“She’s lost her child and it will be very difficult for her to rebuild her life. She has gone through a lot and she really misses her baby.
“But I do not wish to comment on what blame may be down to her…
“Losing a child in this way is some sort of punishment but is it enough, I don’t know.”
Rachael from Belper, Derbyshire, told how she had only met her daughter’s new boyfriend “briefly” and that the couple had only been together for a short spell, less than two months, before the tragedy.
She said she had “no idea” why evil Alesbrook, who was 16 at the time and now aged 19, was driven to hurting the tiny infant and whether he had been high on drink or drugs or “hated babies.”
The teen had also branded the tot a “c***” in blood-curdling messages.
He had shaken him on at least three separate occasions just weeks after meeting his mum India.
Rachael told how the little lad had “fought for his life after being born very prematurely and weighed just a few pounds.”
He came into the world on August 30 2021, tipping the scales at 3lbs 3oz – equivalent to a bag and a half of sugar.
After a lengthy spell in a hospital’s intensive care unit, where he was connected to tubes while he battled for life, he was finally allowed home to his relieved mum at her rented flat in Belper.
At the time she had split up with the baby’s dad Lee Varney but he still visited his son at their home, according to her then neighbours.
Mum-of-two Rachael, fondly remembering Elijah who she “barely knew because he spent so much time in hospital,” said: “He was so tiny but when he left hospital he was healthy.
“He was a gorgeous little boy and we couldn’t wait to get to know him. We saw him when he was born, then he was in hospital and shortly after he was back home he was dead.
“I lost my grandchild, my daughter lost her baby, it’s heartbreaking.”
She told how she was in regular contact with her daughter, who lives alone in Derby, saying: “We are a supportive family and we see her regularly.”
India turned 24 this week, but her mum said: “It was her birthday on Tuesday [November 11] but there was no reason to celebrate.”
He was a gorgeous little boy and we couldn’t wait to get to know him. We saw him when he was born, then he was in hospital and shortly after he was back home he was dead
Rachael Shemwell
Rachael – who has an elder daughter Brooke, four years older than India – told how she had previously met Alesbrook “very briefly for a couple of minutes.”
She added: “He didn’t speak to me, I didn’t speak to him. I didn’t know him.”
Rachael has been separated from India’s dad Paul for 20 years.
She said her daughter has had “no involvement” with Alesbrook.
She added: “Nor is she in contact with the baby’s father Lee.”
Shemwell’s dad Paul from Tibshelf, Derbyshire, said: “We are supporting India as best as we can.”
He added: “We text each other and she sends heart emojis.”
Paul, 53 – who lives with his second wife – said neighbours had no idea they were related to defendant Shemwell.
He said he had “never met” his daughter’s teen boyfriend, saying: “I didn’t know anything about him. My daughter made a bad choice.”
Paul added: “I never went to the court case. The first time I saw the defendant [Alesbrook] was a picture on the TV news.”
He said his daughter was “concentrating on her sentencing.”
He continued: “She fears people will hit out at her for being cruel to her child.
“The family is keeping its thoughts to themselves. None of the neighbours know. We don’t want them to because people judge without knowing.
“We are a decent family.”
At a previous court hearing Shemwell admitted to two counts of child cruelty – including the fact she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
Alesbrook had been “consumed by jealousy” over her relationship with the baby’s dad as the pair remained “sexually involved.”
On one occasion, he sent chilling Snapchat messages to India while looking after Elijah alone.
He wrote: “He is being a c***, he keeps spitting it out. He doesn’t need changing either, I checked 10 minutes ago.”
Days later, on January 2, 2022, India phoned 999 to report she had returned home to find her son “pale and limp”.
He was rushed to hospital but sadly couldn’t be saved and was declared dead shortly after.
After Elijah had been taken to hospital, Alesbrook, who was “high” on cannabis at the time, texted his mum saying he was “absolutely f****d”.
GRIM FINDINGS
A post mortem revealed Elijah had been shaken on at least two previous occasions before the fatal attack, which caused brain damage and rib and limb fractures.
The baby suffered “catastrophic” head injuries during the final assault.
A consultant forensic pathologist found that “in addition to shaking, there had been impacts to the face, either as the result of blows being delivered, or Elijah striking a surface.”
Opening the case, prosecutor Vanessa Marshall KC said mum India was a “thoroughly inadequate mother to Elijah” but had not caused his death.
She added: “You will hear how Miss Shemwell used to leave Elijah unattended and isolated in another room for large periods of time, whilst she was probably concentrating on her own needs and smoking cannabis.
“But where her neglect was the most manifest and ultimately led to Elijah’s death was that on too many occasions, she left her four-month old baby, in the sole care of this defendant, who on any view, as a 16-year-old lad, with little, if any, experience of looking after babies, should not have been given such a responsibility.
“However, whilst the prosecution heavily criticise Miss Shemwell for this neglect towards Elijah, it is not the prosecution’s case that she caused any of the injuries.”
Alesbrook of Matlock, Derbyshire, had denied both murder and casing grievous bodily harm with intent but was found guilty and unanimously convicted.
His violent outbursts caused little Elijah bleeding on the brain, whiplash-type injuries and multiple bone fractures between November 2021 and January 2022.
He also had 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach consistent with grip marks.
The thug carried out the assaults just weeks after meeting the baby’s mother yet he was regularly trusted to look after the baby alone while she was at work.