A mother has been found guilty of murdering her three-year-old son following an “event of violence”.
Christina Robinson, 30, suffered fatal brain damage after she violently shook her son Dwelaniyah Robinson at their home in Bracken Court, Ushaw Moor, Durham, in November 2022.
She was also found guilty of four counts of child abuse, which are said to have occurred in the weeks leading up to Devlaniere’s death.
During the three-week trial new castle At the crown court, prosecutors claimed Robinson slapped her son, hit him with a bamboo cane and hit him with a spoon.
She also neglected him, leaving him alone at home, and intentionally scalded the young boy as punishment, causing severe burns.
Christina Robinson. Picture: Durham Police/PA
Robinson did admit that she used the bamboo cane on her son to “correct” him for playing with food, which she believed was the right thing to do after taking religious lessons online.
“The reason I did it was simple, I believed I was doing the right thing and it was in the Bible,” said Robinson, a follower of the Black Hebrew Israelite religion, which follows the Old Testament, The teachings of the New Testament and the Apocrypha.
The cane Christina Robinson uses to discipline her son, Dwelaniyah. Picture: Durham Police/PA
The mother, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, told the court her son was accidentally burned in the bath and she did not seek medical attention for him because of shame.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, previously said Dwelaniyah suffered burns to 20 per cent of his body, causing severe pain for weeks.
The court heard Dwelaniyah Robinson suffered bruises and burns. Image: Family Handout/PA
Robinson rejected claims that her son was an “inconvenience” to her, noting that she had always wanted a large family with “double digits” of children.
She said she considered using a sperm donor to conceive after her marriage to Gabriel Adu-Appau collapsed. Gabriel Adu-Abo was serving at an RAF base near Aylesbury when de Veranier was injured.
The cane Christina Robinson uses to discipline her son, Dwelaniyah. Picture: Durham Police/PA
Robinson later disputed expert evidence about the cause of her son’s death, claiming there was uncertainty about what happened to him and noting he was “clumsy” and bumped into things.
Jurors saw body camera footage of paramedics trying to save the boy inside the house.
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More than 20 minutes later, Robinson called 999, first spoke to her husband on the phone and then used Google to look up how to perform CPR on the child.
When emergency services arrived, Robinson appeared calm and explained her version of events to a police officer while paramedics worked desperately to save Develanier.
Body-worn cameras captured footage of Christina Robinson when police were called to her home. Image: CPS/PA
De Veranier’s heart stopped beating and he was taken to hospital but could not be saved.
“Please don’t find me guilty for something I didn’t do,” Robinson told the jury in closing arguments on March 19 after parting ways with his legal team.
Speaking on the same day, Mr Wright said the boy had suffered violence and cruelty from his mother over “little mistakes”.
Outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Simon Turner said Robinson had “lied from the beginning” and he hoped her conviction would “provide closure” to those who “genuinely cared” for de Veranier.
Judge Garnham will sentence Robinson on May 24 to give her time to seek legal representation. He thanked the jury, some of whom were visibly upset.
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