Child killer broke bones in cellmate’s face for waking him up

A child killer who beat his five-year-old stepson to death in a park will serve another two and a half years after he stamped on a cellmate’s head for waking him up too early.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, carried out the prison attack when he was on remand for killing child model Alex Malcolm in a park because he lost his trainer.

He beat up the boy’s mother when she tried to call an ambulance and calmly smoked a cigarette as he denied Alex treatment for two hours.

Alex never regained consciousness and died two days later from a bleed on the brain.

Iheanacho lost his temper with Alex after he lost his shoe at Mountsfield Park in Hither Green, southeast London on November 20 last year.

He had previously beaten Alex for being car sick in a cab and kicked a 13 year-old boy in the head when he tried to protect his mother from Iheanacho.

Iheanacho was convicted of murder and jailed for 18 years in July, but the term was increased to 21 years by the Court of Appeal.

He unleashed the vicious attack on cellmate Devon Bartley at HMP Belmarsh on 1 December last year, while on remand for murdering his stepson.

The court heard Mr Bartley had got up at around 7.30am to brush his teeth. Iheanacho asked him why he was awake so early and Mr Bartley went back to bed.

As he lay in the bed with his eyes closed, Iheanacho beat his cellmate until he was unconscious, fracturing several bones in his face.

Iheancho admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Bartley after a judge rejected a defence application to stay proceedings earlier this week (tues).

Nick Corsellis, prosecuting, said: ‘On 1st December 2016, three men were sharing a prison cell in HMP Belmarsh. They were Mr Bartley, Mr Coker and the defendant.

‘On the morning of that Thursday, Mr Bartley had a minor verbal disagreement with Mr Iheanacho which seemed insignificant at the time. Mr Bartley lay down on his bed and soon after was subjected to a sustained attack which involved kicking and stamping to his head.

‘He was taken to Kings College Hospital where X-rays revealed that he had sustained multiple facial bone fractures to the upper jaw, right eye socket and cheek bones.

‘He required surgery during which titanium plates and arch bars were asserted into his face to assist healing.

‘He then required a second operation to remove the metal splints on 31 January this year.’

Mr Coker pressed the emergency bell for assistance, and prison officers arrived to see that Mr Bartley was heavily injured.

Iheanacho was ‘tensed up, breathing heavily, glaring, aggressive and obstructive’.

Mr Corsellis said Iheanachop had an ‘ingrained character trait to lose his temper and to resort to unnecessary violence when frustrated or feels he isn’t getting his way’.

In a victim impact statement read to court, Devon Bartley said: ‘I have never been the same since this man attacked me.

He gave me no chance to defend myself as I was unconscious and defenceless as he stamped and kicked my head.

‘I now have bad memory, I forget stuff all the time. I don’t even remember dates.

‘The probation service had to give me a diary so I could write stuff down. I did not have this problem before. It makes me angry and frustrated.

‘I still have a metal plate in my head and this is permanent. My front teeth are still lose and it causes me to dribble a lot more from my mouth.

‘I have sharp headaches one or two times a week where my head is pounding.

‘I have serious back pain. I am unable to stand up straight, I stoop when I am walking. I have pain in the righthand side of face and shoulder.

I’m lucky to be alive after what this man did to me. I’m still recovering but my health will never be the same.

‘I now live in constant fear of cellmates and another attack. Day to day I am looking over my shoulder’.

The court heard the attack took place just two weeks after pastors visited Iheanacho in his cell to tell him Alex had died in hospital.

He was moved to the multiple occupancy cell because he was considered to be at high risk of suicide.

Barry Kogan, defending, told a judge at Woolwich Crown Court today (thurs) that Iheanacho was ‘tearful’ and depressed after hearing his stepson Alex had died at his hands.

He said: ‘It was the news he dreaded hearing and it left him feeling numb and considering suicide.

‘His time in the cell was punctuated with deep despair. He was often tearful.

‘The others grew to know why he was there because of the visits by pastors and because the case was shown on the television.

‘On the morning of 1 December the defendant had had another very poor nights sleep and he woke after a fitful night to the sound of Mr Bartley brushing his teeth.’

Mr Kogan said Iheanacho was ‘deeply ashamed’ for the attack on his cellmate but has changed his behaviour and become a model prisoner.

He said: ‘He is deeply ashamed of himself and wishes to apologise publicly through me to him.

‘He intends to write a letter of apology to Mr Bartley in the hope he will receive it and derive some comfort.’

Iheanacho is said to have turned to Christianity in the months after the murder.

The court also heard he is the best chess player in Belmarsh.

Judge Heathcote Williams QC, sentencing, said: ‘Clearly Marvin Iheanacho, you are a dangerous offender.

‘Lest that appears to make you sound impressive, I should add that you are a dangerous offender not so much because you are physically strong – though you are – but because you are psychologically inadequate.

‘You have demonstrated over and over again lack of real empathy and respect for other people and instead of having the strength to put up with minor irritations, you have repeatedly failed to control your temper and resorted to extreme violence.

‘As so often, your dangerousness stems from your weakness.

‘The root of your offending is failure to control your violent temper in response to even trivial irritation.

‘Having taken all these factors into account, the sentence I would have imposed if you had been convicted of this offence after a trial would have been five years six months imprisonment consecutive to the minimum term of your life sentence for murder.

‘Allowing you an approximate 10 per cent deduction for your plea of guilty, the sentence I actually impose on you is five years imprisonment consecutive to the minimum term of your life sentence for murder.

‘The practical effect of this sentence is to postpone the earliest time at which you can apply to the Parole Board for a recommendation for release on life licence from 21 years by half of this further five year sentence, namely a further two years and six months.’

Iheanacho admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to five years consecutive to his life imprisonment.

He will serve an additional two and a half years on top of his minimum term of 21 years before he can apply to the parole board to be released on licence.

ends