COLETTE HARRIS BEXLEY MOTHER WHO MURDERED HER 21-MONTH-OLD SON HAS APPEAL REJECTED

In April 2011, the case of Colette Harris, a woman from Bexley, who was convicted of the brutal murder of her 21-month-old son, Bobby Louch, reached a significant legal milestone as her appeal was officially denied. Harris, aged 31 and residing on Chapel Close in Crayford, had been found guilty in May of the previous year for the tragic death of her young son, which occurred at their family home located on Halcot Avenue in Bexleyheath.

Following her conviction, Harris was sentenced to life imprisonment with a judicial recommendation that she serve at least 16 years before being eligible for parole. Her legal team challenged the verdict, asserting that her conviction was “unsafe,” and took the case to the High Court for an appeal. However, on April 15, the three judges presiding over the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed her appeal, upholding the original conviction and sentence.

Details of Bobby Louch’s death reveal a horrifying pattern of abuse. The toddler succumbed on December 29, 2008, after suffering over 40 injuries, including bleeding to his abdomen and brain, fractured ribs, burns on his hand, and extensive bruising. The court heard that Bobby had been subjected to deliberate and repeated acts of violence, with many injuries inflicted by kicks and punches. The fatal injuries were determined to have been caused within the 48 hours leading up to his death.

Colette Harris was not alone in the charges; her former boyfriend, James Phillips, aged 25 and residing on Dale View in Erith, was also accused of causing Bobby’s death. Both Harris and Phillips denied the allegations. After a trial at the Old Bailey, Harris was convicted of murder, while Phillips was acquitted of all charges, including manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Throughout the proceedings, the court was informed that Bobby had been subjected to “deliberate and repeated violence,” with injuries to his head and body caused by kicks and punches. The court also noted that the injuries had been inflicted in the two days prior to his death. Despite her conviction, Harris maintained her innocence, loudly proclaiming from the dock, “I didn’t hurt him.”

Further investigations revealed that just three weeks before his death, Bobby was taken to Darenth Valley Hospital after suffering a broken leg and bruising on his forehead. Harris claimed that the bruising was caused by Bobby banging his head against his cot and that she was out of the room when the leg was broken. However, hospital staff did not report these injuries to social services, and Bobby was allowed to return home with his mother. This decision was later scrutinized in a report by the Bexley Safeguarding Children Board, which concluded that the death was not foreseeable, despite the hospital’s suspicions.

In May 2010, a serious case review criticized Darent Valley Hospital for not referring Bobby’s previous injuries to social services. The review highlighted that staff at the hospital were “shocked and distraught” upon learning of Bobby’s murder, which occurred shortly after their treatment of him for a broken leg. The hospital had been suspicious of the injuries but did not find evidence of abuse at the time and therefore did not escalate the case. The review emphasized that hospitals should refer unexplained serious injuries to child social services, but ultimately concluded that the tragedy was “not foreseeable.”