Stepfather Said 22-Month-Old Boy Choked to Death on a Cookie. Now He's Been Jailed for His Murder

• A British stepfather has been sentenced to a minimum of 25 years for the murder of his ex-partner’s 22-month-old son
• Christopher Stockton, 38, was sentenced on Friday, Feb. 7 after he previously claimed that the toddler might have choked on a cookie before his death in January 2024, according to authorities
• Paramedics found no sign of a blockage but did discover the youngster had a “serious head injury,” per a police release

A man who suggested his 22-month-old stepson choked to death on a cookie has been sentenced to a minimum of 25 years for the boy’s murder.

On Friday, Feb. 7, Christopher Stockton, 38, of Darlington in northern England was handed the sentence at Teesside Crown Court, per a release by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which handles all police prosecutions in England and Wales.

The sentencing came after the death of 22-month-old Charlie Roberts on Jan. 13, 2024. His mother, Paula Roberts, 41 — who has pleaded guilty to a charge of child neglect — had left the toddler in the care of Stockton on the morning of Jan. 12, a Durham Constabulary release on Dec. 10 stated. It also confirmed that Stockton had been found guilty of murder.

“Within less than 20 minutes, Stockton was calling emergency services and claiming that Charlie was unable to breathe after choking on something,” the CPS release said, adding that Charlie had been taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne, where scans showed he’d “suffered major bleeding in his brain.”

Durham had previously claimed the little boy “became lifeless and floppy” while playing in a toy tunnel, suggesting he might have been “choking” on a cookie “he had been eating earlier.” However, when paramedics attended, “they didn’t find a blockage, but the youngster had a serious head injury,” Durham Constabulary previously said.

“Experts said that, given the severity of the injury, it must have been sustained immediately before Stockton called an ambulance and was caused by severe trauma from being shaken or thrown,” police added.

Officers confirmed in the December release that Stockton had “started a relationship with Roberts in early 2023 and met Charlie a few days after his first birthday in March that year,” Durham Constabulary continued.

Bruising “was found on the youngster on several separate occasions” in the months that followed, per the police release. Amid a reported rocky patch in the couple’s relationship, Roberts “bought a spy camera for Charlie’s bedroom and told a relative that she had concerns about her boyfriend.”

Police then confirmed that during their investigation into Charlie’s death, “detectives uncovered a series of photographs on Roberts’ phone” showing the toddler “with bruises and injuries to different parts of his body.”

Messages on the phone suggested she’d “seek medical help for her son, but then never did,” officers added.

At Friday’s sentencing, Judge James Goss said Roberts had “turned a blind eye” to what was happening to her son, the BBC reported. Her lawyer, Richard Herrmann, said she had reviewed the bedroom camera footage, but “saw nothing” that would “cause her to worry,” the outlet added.

In a statement, Dominic Tate from the CPS said, “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Christopher Stockton’s relationship with Charlie Roberts was punctuated by incidents of violence. After Stockton began a relationship with Paula Roberts, Charlie sustained a series of unexplained injuries, culminating in his tragic death in January of last year,” per the release.

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Tate added that the youngster was “tragically subjected to sufficient violence to cause catastrophic head injuries” while in Stockton’s sole care.

“Our thoughts remain with the father of Charlie Roberts, for who this must remain a particularly difficult time. We sincerely hope that he can take some measure of comfort from seeing his son’s killer jailed today,” Tate added. 

Charlie’s father, Barry Greenwell, said, “Charlie was a much-loved son and grandson who has been taken away needlessly and has left the whole family with a void that will never be filled,” per the previous police release.

“Charlie had everything to live for, but his life was cruelly cut short,” local detective superintendent, Chris Barker, added.