Alfie Lamb manslaughter accused was angry and annoyed with boy, court told

The son of an ex-minister crushed his girlfriend’s child with his car seat, saying angrily he would “not be told what to do by a three-year-old”, a court has heard.

Alfie Lamb. Picture: PA

Nightclub worker Stephen Waterson, 25, allegedly became “annoyed” at Alfie Lamb’s cries and twice pushed his chair into the boy during a journey back to his home in Croydon, south London.

Waterson, son of former government minister Nigel Waterson, has denied Alfie’s manslaughter along with his girlfriend Adrian Hoare, 23, who allegedly failed to prevent the tragedy.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Hoare said her son was tired and moaning after a shopping trip to Sutton, south London, on February 1 last year.

On the journey home, there were six people in Waterson’s Audi convertible, including two children in the rear footwell.

Hoare said Alfie was “irritable and tired” and made it known he was uncomfortable.

When Waterson first moved his front seat back, Alfie called out “Mummy”, prompting Hoare to ask him to go forward again, jurors heard.

The hairdresser said: “When he first moved the chair back Alfie was still moving about and had room so I did not think there was a problem.

“He was just calling ‘Mummy’. It obviously made Alfie uncomfortable with the amount of space he did have.

“Stephen got annoyed with him. He shouted at Alfie and told him to shut up. It made him jump when Stephen shouted at him and he started to cry more.

“Alfie had got louder when he got scared at Stephen shouting and obviously Stephen being annoyed was quite loud as well.

“After he said that he did not have room for his legs, he made another comment along the lines he was not being told what to do by a three-year-old because we asked for the chair to be moved, and he moved his chair back again.”

The defendant said she never thought Alfie was in danger or in trouble and assumed when he stopped crying and went quiet that he had fallen asleep.

On arriving at Waterson’s address in Adams Way, Alfie went all “floppy”, jurors heard.

Hoare said: “Everybody thought he was playing to start with. He was just all floppy, but he’s done it before when he has not wanted to do something. He would muck about and not respond.”

After paramedics were called, Waterson left the scene, the court heard.

The defendants went on to lie to authorities about what happened, the court has been told.

Hoare, who is originally from Gravesend in Kent, denies manslaughter, child cruelty and common assault on Emily Williams, who was also in the car.

Waterson has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and intimidation of the driver Marcus Lamb.

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