Petts Wood man guilty of manslaughter after toddler beaten to death

Scott Coombe, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter of 18-month-old Andrew Cawker at a hearing at the Old Bailey in February.

The child’s mum - Tamika Beaton, 25, was found guilty of child cruelty after failing to raise concerns, despite being aware that her child was being abused following the conclusion of a trial at the Old Bailey yesterday (October 24).

Both Beaton and Coombe will be sentenced on Friday, November 18.

Scott Coombe (Image: Met Police)

Coombe, of Towncourt Lane, had started a relationship with Tamika Beaton of Cole Street in July 2018.

Coombe moved into Beaton's flat, and over the course of one year, repeatedly assaulted Andrew, resulting in an incident on July 9, 2019, when the London Ambulance Service was called.

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Coombe claimed Andrew had fallen over and suffered a seizure.

However, after he was taken to hospital and examined by medical professionals, suspicions were raised that the injuries sustained could not have been accidental.

Andrew never regained consciousness and died in hospital on July, 23, 2019.

Coombe was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and following Andrew’s death, he was further arrested on suspicion of murder.

A post-mortem examination found Andrew had died as a result of a head injury, but a number of other bruises were found around his face and shoulder.

Tamika Beaton (Image: Met Police)

The pathologist remarked that given the level of injuries, the account given by Coombe as to how they were sustained was “implausible”.

Detectives examined the phones of both Coombe and Beaton and discovered a series of pictures and messages documenting various injuries suffered by Andrew over a period of months.

While some were accompanied by messages with attempts to explain how they had happened, police found the injuries were sustained while Andrew was in the sole care of Coombe.

As the injuries continued, Beaton made insinuations to her former partner – Andrew’s father – that the injuries could have been caused by him while he was looking after the toddler.

She repeated these accusations when interviewed by police, despite knowing that the injuries had been sustained when Andrew was being looked after by Coombe.

Beaton also suggested that she was aware that Andrew was sustaining his injuries while in the care of Coombe in messages sent to her mum.

However, she chose not to act, but instead allowed the abuse to continue.

Detective Sergeant Quinn Cutler, a homicide detective, led the investigation and said: “This is an utterly heart-breaking case where a defenceless child has sustained prolonged abuse at the hands of those who should have been caring for him, resulting in his death.

“Andrew should have been in the place where he felt safe; at home with his mother and her partner. However, over the course of a year, Andrew suffered regular assaults at the hands of Scott Coombe culminating in the attack on 9 July 2019 which proved to be fatal.

“His mother, Tamika Beaton, clearly suspected Coombe was responsible for these injuries but chose not to intervene or seek help. Indeed, when questioned by police she sought to place the blame on another man.

"While Beaton did not directly inflict injuries on her son, her inaction most certainly played a part in his death.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “A man has been convicted of manslaughter following the death of a toddler who received fatal injuries after being left in his care.

“The child’s mother has been convicted of child cruelty after failing to raise concerns despite being aware that her child was being abused.

“Scott Coombe, 24 (23.01.98) of Towncourt Lane, Petts Wood pleaded guilty to manslaughter of 18-month-old Andrew Cawker at a hearing at the Old Bailey in February.

“Coombe had started a relationship in July 2018 with Andrew’s mother, Tamika Beaton, 25 (22.02.97) of Cole Street, SE1.

“Coombe moved into Beaton's flat and over the course of a year, repeatedly assaulted Andrew culminating in an incident on 9 July 2019 when the London Ambulance Service was called.

“Coombe claimed Andrew had fallen over and suffered a seizure. However, after he was admitted to hospital and examined by medical professionals, suspicions were raised that the injuries sustained could not have been accidental.

“Andrew never regained consciousness and died in hospital on 23 July 2019.

“Coombe was arrested on suspicion of GBH and following Andrew’s death he was further arrested on suspicion of murder.

“A post-mortem examination concluded Andrew had died as a result of a head injury but a number of other bruises were found around his face and shoulder.

“The pathologist remarked that given the level of injuries, the account given by Coombe as to how they were sustained was ‘implausible’.

“Detectives examined the phones of both Coombe and Beaton and discovered a series of pictures and messages documenting various injuries suffered by Andrew over a period of months.

“While some were accompanied by messages with attempts to explain how they had happened, what was clear was that the injuries were sustained while Andrew was in the sole care of Coombe.

“As the injuries continued, Beaton made insinuations to her former partner – Andrew’s father – that the injuries could have been caused by him while he was looking after the toddler.

“She repeated these accusations when interviewed by police, despite knowing that the injuries had been sustained when Andrew was being looked after by Coombe.

Beaton also indicated that she was aware that Andrew was sustaining his injuries while in the care of Coombe in messages sent to her mother.

“However, for whatever reason, she chose not to take action but instead allowed the abuse to continue.

“Beaton was found guilty of child cruelty following the conclusion of a trial at the Old Bailey on 24 October 2022. Both Beaton and Coombe will be sentenced on Friday, 18 November.”

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