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Viewers of Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody were left horrified after hearing a child describe abuse at the hands of a baby murderer.
Kane Mitchell, 31, of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years for murdering baby Teddie, who died in hospital on November 11, 2019, after ten days on a life support machine.
A four-week trial at Cambridge Crown Court heard that the 11-week-old had suffered injuries consistent with being ‘gripped hard’, ‘shaken vigorously’, and ‘having his head struck against a hard surface’.
Baby Teddie died with 17 broken ribs, fractures to his skull and collarbone, a bleed on the brain and brain, spinal and eye damage.
Mitchell had been in a relationship with Teddie’s mother, Lucci Smith, 30, for about eight months, and he told police he believed he was the baby’s father.
Footage from the Channel 4 series 24 Hours in Police Custody, which aired tonight at 9pm, featured a recording of one of Lucci’s older children describing Kane’s abuse.
In the clip, he could be heard calling Kane ‘ugly’, saying: ‘Mummy ran into our room and shut the door so he couldn’t hurt us. He was trying to punch us all.’
Many of those watching were left shocked by the footage, with one writing: ‘Hearing this child breaks my heart.’
Another wrote: ‘I am in absolute bits at #24HoursinPoliceCustody – this is harrowing…absolutely harrowing.’
Kane Mitchell, 31, of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years for murdering baby Teddie, who died in hospital on November 11, 2019, after ten days on a life support machine
A four-week trial at Cambridge Crown Court heard that Teddie had suffered injuries consistent with being ‘gripped hard’, ‘shaken vigorously’, and ‘having his head struck against a hard surface’
One of Lucci’s children described his abuse during the documentary, which viewers described as ‘harrowing’
During the documentary, police footage showed the couple being visited by officers in January 2020 after a neighbour reported seeing Kane strangling Lucci.
But when officers arrived at the house, Lucci could be heard exclaiming: ‘Is this a joke? I’m sick of you coming round here now.’
Meanwhile Kane said: ‘My kids just f***** died, I’ve got a bail hearing tomorrow and I’ve got you two f****** at my door. I’m sick of this s***.’
Meanwhile a teary Lucci separately told another officer that nothing had happened, adding: ‘It’s taking the p*** now!’
He told her he could see ‘marks around her neck’ and asked if that might be why they had been called to the flat, but she said: ‘It’s probably my tan. He hasn’t even touched me. There hasn’t been no arguing here.’
Meanwhile the officers went on to visit some of the neighbours, many of whom said they’d been left ‘scared’ of Kane after hearing arguin from the flat.
Police returned to the flat, where they arrested Kane for domestic violence and common assault, but Lucci defended her partner.
She said: ‘You are not arresting him. I’m not saying here tonight on my own before bail. No – he hasn’t done anything. You’re not taking him anywhere.’
Meanwhile Kane exclaimed and began screaming at the police officers: ‘You ain’t go no proof. I ain’t done f*** all. There’s nothing on her, if anything I’ve got marks on me. This is f****** ridiculous.’
Mitchell had been in a relationship with Teddie’s mother, Lucci Smith, 30, for about eight months and the pair lived together
DI Lucy Thompson, of the Major Crime Unit, told the camera: ‘Lucci, we have good strong evidence to show she is a victim of abuse from Kane.
‘But she is not taking any of the opportunities to acknowledge she is a victim of abuse. It would be quite unusual for us to say, you are a victim and we know you are a victim.
‘We can suggest that but if someone is in denial, they won’t see it or accept that.’
Kane was brought in for a police interview, with officers questioning the state of his relationship with Lucci, but he insisted: ‘It’s very verbal. I don’t like having a row or an argument and then sitting down.
‘I need 10 minutes to reflect and to get out and defuse the situation so it doesn’t escalate by her either lunging for me and me having to lunge back.
DI Lucy Thompson, of the Major Crime Unit, told the camera that the police had ‘good evidence’ Lucci was a victim of abuse from Kane
Kane was brought in for a police interview, with officers questioning the state of his relationship with Lucci, but he insisted: ‘It’s very verbal’
‘I just defuse it there and then, which means taking me out of the equation.’
However the officer responded: ‘The reason we’re going over this, is it is slightly worse than you’re portrayed. Other people are saying violence.
‘This isn’t an environment for children to be growing up in, especially if you do flip.’
Another said: ‘it was a violent and volatile relationship. Something has triggered and either you and Lucie have flipped, and that’s what has led to Teddie’s head injury.’
The officers said they had been through his phone, questioning aggressive messages sent between the pair.
Meanwhile after repeatedly being questioned by police, Lucci confessed that Kane had been violent towards her
They recited one message exchange in which Kane had questioned why Lucci should be visiting the park with one of their children’s friend’s parents.
One of the texts read: ‘Answer me , you don’t understand you s*****. I’ve swore on my mother’s ashes that unless you tell me Ross’ second name before you are home, I’m beating you you simple.
‘Unless you tell me, I promise you, I’m going to have to take you in the bedroom and do you in. Please listen to me, I’m actually going to have to do it.’
However Kane insisted it was ‘just a threat’ and he said: ‘I’ve never ever touched her.’
And during the interview, the officer said she wanted to discuss Teddie’s biological father.
During one harrowing moment in the documentary, Lucci’s surviving children could be heard describing how he abused them
She said: ‘We have had some DNA profiling back and the profiling has come back that you are not Teddie’s father.’
He could be seen putting his hand to his face as he appeared to cry after the revelation, before saying: ‘I feel sick.’
Later police said they had had to be ‘very careful’ with how they had interviewed him because he was ‘on a knife edge’ of ‘exploding.’
Meanwhile DI Thompson said she wanted to give Lucci an opportunity to acknowledge she was a victim of domestic violence.
However when they sat down for an interview together, Lucci insisted she had ‘no explanation’ as to how Teddie died.
Meanwhile she defended the text messages exchanged with Kane, saying: ‘Every couple argues.’
She went on to say there had been ‘a few slaps’ from her boyfriend over the years, saying: ‘I don’t really see why this matters. Just because he’s going to do something like that doesn’t mean he is going to do something to Teddie.’
During one interview, Lucci promised she would have told police if there had been any violence toward Teddie because, ‘he’s my son at the end of the day and he means more to me than anybody’
The officer then went on: ‘I’m going to ask you a question and look you straight in the eye. Kane has assaulted you on a number of occasions.’
Finally, Lucci could be seen acknowledging his violence, saying: ‘With me maybe, but he wouldn’t do that to a child.
‘It doesn’t mean he would do anything to my children. i know he wouldn’t do that because he loved that baby, he honestly loved that baby.
‘I don’t see why it mattered.’
And when officers said Kane wasn’t Teddie’s biological father, she burst into tears.
Meanwhile police went on to conduct an interview with the eldest of Lucci’s children who lived with her and Kane.
While the child was not identified on camera, their voice could be heard saying: ‘Ugly Kane. I call him ugly because he hits me, he punches me in the arm.
‘He basically got hold of my leg and dragged me in the there and my head was on the floor. He was holding my foot and clenching it really hard.’
‘And Kane also punched Mummy’s mirror and his hand was bleeding, so Mummy ran into our room and shut the door so he couldn’t hurt us.
‘He was trying to punch us all. [It made me feel sad] because the glass was on the floor and Mummy stepped on it.’
After the interview, DI Thompson told the camera that Kane had ‘tried to kill himself’ by walking into traffic on a motorway, saying: ‘God knows how but he actually survived. He’s got a fractured pelvis, fractured elbow, fractured ribs and a head injury.
‘The main point is he made a concerted effort to kill himself. This wasn’t half hearted.’
She later said she was stunned to learn Kane was set to be charged with murder, revealing: ‘Given what he’s done, they have changed their mind and he will be charged on threshold and they will charge him with murder.’
Police then entered the hospital to alert Kane to the change in charges, finding him on a ward.
He could be heard saying, ‘this is absurd’ as he was arrested and removed from the hospital in a wheelchair.
Kane Mitchell, 32, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years for murdering baby Teddie. Pictured: Mitchell reacts to being arrested in hospital
During the first part of the documentary, Mitchell was arrested while pretending to be a caring father in hospital with baby Teddie. He said: ‘I don’t f***** think so. Oh my god, I would never hurt a baby. I’m not leaving my son’
DI Thompson said: ‘When I first met him, he presented as you would expect a grieving father. He has changed and showed the ability to change that persona at will, depending on the circumstance he is in.
‘He has been completely devoid of any remorse or real empathy for Teddie. That’s the thing I find really hard, it’s all about Kane and not about what Teddie has been through.’
Many of those watching the programme were left shocked and horrified by the documentary, with one writing: ‘Oh my god, is this not heartbreaking to hear?’
Another wrote: ‘Omg those poor poor kids, I’m in bits listening to that poor little kid.’
During the first-part of the documentary series, which aired yesterday, the heartless killer started spouting crocodile tears as he was arrested.
Meanwhile footage also showed Smith being asked by detectives how her son suffered such horrific injuries and she simply replies ‘no idea’.
During an interview Smith was asked by detectives how her son suffered such horrific injuries and she simply replies ‘no idea’
She then went on to say she would tell police if there had been any violence toward Teddie because, ‘he’s my son at the end of the day and he means more to me than anybody’.
Social workers are ‘spat at’ in the street in Birmingham amid backlash over Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ murder
Social workers are being ‘spat at’ in the street amid fury over the tragic death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, a children’s trust boss has revealed.
Six-year-old Arthur was beaten and tortured before his murder at the hands of stepmother Emma Tustin at her home in Solihull.
The case prompted a national outpouring of grief and ministers vowed to take action after Tustin was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.
Six-year-old Arthur was beaten and tortured before his murder at the hands of stepmother Emma Tustin at her home in Solihull
The Government announced an inquiry into how social services and local authorities liaise, and Boris Johnson spoke of introducing ‘Arthur’s Law’ preventing the release of child killers from prison.
The leader of Solihull Council also ordered an ‘independent verification’ of the local authority’s involvement in Arthur’s life.
Now Jenny Turnross, director of practice at Birmingham Children’s Trust, has confirmed reports that social workers have been physically and verbally abused as a direct result of the case. During one encounter, a social worker was spat at in the street.
Ms Turnross, who oversees 800 social workers in the trust, said: ‘People see these beautiful pictures of Arthur and think ”how can professionals and organisations allow something like to happen to this child”.
The case prompted a national outpouring of grief and ministers vowed to take action after Tustin was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter
And it was revealed that social services and Cambridgeshire Police had been alerted to concerns from worried neighbours weeks before Teddie died.
Footage from just before Mitchell’s arrest showed him holding his victim in hospital while he sobbed and said: ‘Come on baby, Daddy’s here.’
At 3pm on November 1, 2019, the ambulance service was called to Pattison Court, St Neots, where Teddie was found to be unresponsive and in cardiac arrest.
Smith had left Teddie in the care of Mitchell that day while she did the morning school run.
Detective Inspector Lucy Thompson said of Mitchell, ‘He is completely devoid of any remorse or empathy, that’s the thing I find really hard.
‘It’s all about Kane and not what Teddie’s been through.’
The clip showed the moment Mitchell was arrested while pretending to be a caring father in hospital with baby Teddie.
He said: ‘I don’t f***** think so. Oh my god, I would never hurt a baby. I’m not leaving my son.’
However officers were able to prove Mitchell had killed Teddie because of the types of injuries how they were inflicted.
Teddie died as a result of his fractured skull and lack of oxygen to the brain.
Medical staff were concerned about how Teddie received his serious injuries and Mitchell and Smith were both arrested.
During the trial at Cambridge Crown Court, the jury heard how Teddie had suffered weeks of neglect and rough handling during his short life at the hands of Kane Mitchell, who isn’t his biological father.
Channel 4’s documentary, 24 Hours in Police Custody: Cold to the Touch, probed the council as to what they did in response to concerns from worried neighbours about the safety of the children living in the home Mitchell and Smith lived in.
A council spokesperson told The Express: ‘A serious case review is underway and the findings should be published later this year. We cannot comment further until it is published.’
Ms Thompson, who led the investigation into Teddie’s death, added: ‘This was a tragic and terrible case in which an 11-week-old baby lost his life at the hands of a person who should have been there to protect him.
‘Our year-long investigation found that Teddie had suffered multiple horrific injuries during his short life, which neither Mitchell or Smith could account for.
‘Viewers will see the complexities and intricacies of such an emotive and tragic case.
‘The show highlights that we will work tirelessly to bring those responsible for such heinous crimes to justice, no matter what it takes.
‘We hope it will encourage anyone with any concerns for a child’s welfare to come forward and report it to us without delay.’
During the trial, the jury were read statements from neighbours who said they had heard arguments coming from the address on a regular basis and that the household had been unsettled since Mitchell moved in.
During police interview, Mitchell said he believed he was Teddie’s biological father.
However, DNA results following the death revealed he was not.
More footage from the TV programme showed how police officers were constantly monitoring the couple while they were in hospital with Teddie before making their arrests.
Mitchell was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in jail at Cambridge Crown Court in February.
Smith was found guilty of neglect after she didn’t dial 999 for more than half an hour after her GP urged her to do so.
His death is reminiscent of the injuries which killed 16-month-old Star Hobson who was murdered by Savannah Brockhill, 28, the girlfriend of her mother Frankie Smith.
Mrs Justice Lambert said the ‘fatal punch or kick’ to Star caused the toddler to lose half the blood in her body and damaged her internal organs.
Brockhill was jailed for 25 years for murdering Star and Smith was jailed for eight for doing nothing to stop her.
Mrs Justice Lambert added: ‘Frankie Smith, it was your role to protect Star from harm, you failed to protect her, allowing her death.’
‘The level of force required to inflict these injuries must have been massive – similar to those forces associated with a road traffic accident.’
Police released a picture of Star smiling happily before the torment from her mother and her murdering girlfriend began
Partners in death: Savannah Brockhill, 28 and Frankie Smith, 20, have both been convicted over killing Star Hobson
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