Alfie Lamb death: Mother told crushed boy 'to be quiet'

Pic--Alfie Lamb was previously described in court as a "smiley" boy
Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

A mum repeatedly told her three-year-old son to be quiet while he was being crushed to death by her boyfriend's car seat, a court has heard.

Alfie Lamb cried so much "it sounded like he was choking" as he was squashed by Stephen Waterson, who was sitting in front of him, the Old Bailey heard.

A woman who was in the back of the car with Alfie and his mother Adrian Hoare said the boy had asked for more space.

Ms Hoare, 23, and Mr Waterson, 25, from Croydon, both deny manslaughter.

'Stretch legs out'

The pair had been travelling with Emilie Williams and Marcus Lamb, who was driving, and were returning from a shopping trip to Sutton on 1 February last year.

In a videoed police interview, 19-year-old Ms Williams said Mr Waterson's seat "was right back... because he said he had to stretch his legs right out".

"Alfie was kicking the chair, asking him to move it forward" but apart from shifting it "for a few seconds", the 25-year-old refused, the jury heard.

Despite the three-year-old's distress, Ms Hoare said the boy was "getting himself worked up" and she told him to "shut up", Ms Williams said.

She told police Ms Hoare believed Alfie had gone to sleep when he went quiet, then "thought he was just mucking around" as she tried to wake him.

The 19-year-old added that when the boy was lifted from the car by Mr Waterson, he looked "pale" and was not moving.

'Death threat'

The jury also heard Ms Williams had been threatened by Mr Waterson, who tried to persuade her to lie about what happened.

"He was telling me a lot of things. He said he would put me in the boot of the car and get rid of me. He said he would kill me," she said.

Ms Hoare was also "going along with it and helping", Ms Williams said.

Ms Hoare denies manslaughter, child cruelty and common assault on Miss Williams.

Mr Waterson denies manslaughter and the intimidation of Mr Lamb.

The couple and Ms Williams have pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice by making false statements to police.

The trial continues.