A Barbadian man living in London has been convicted of murdering his mother after lying that her injuries were from falling over.
Steffon Hewitt, 51, battered his 68-year-old mother, Vanita Nowell, in a “vicious attack” in March 2020.
After a trial at Isleworth Crown Court, which concluded on Tuesday, 27th February, Steffon Hewitt, 51, of Blake’s Road, Peckham South London, was found guilty of murdering his mother, 68-year-old Vanita Nowell, in March 2020.
Vanita had moved to the UK from Barbados the previous year to come and live with her son.
Detective Constable Nick Stocking, part of the team that led the murder investigation, said: “Hewitt showed no remorse when killing his mother by inflicting significant and extensive injuries, resulting in what would have been a painful death.
“Vanita suffered from 28 fresh rib fractures and six fractures of her spine, alongside extensive bruising to her face, head and body. She also sustained a traumatic brain injury.
Hewitt said that he tried CPR to revive her and may have broken a few of her ribs. However, when medics looked over her later, they deduced that the extent of the fractures could not have been caused by him performing CPR.
“This was a vicious attack, but Hewitt attempted to blame it on his mother’s constant falling due to her dementia. A combination of forensic and medical evidence proved this was not true, and it is right that he will now face the consequences of his actions.”
On Sunday, 8th March 2020, emergency services were called to Hewitt’s home in Peckham. He told the call operator that he had found his mother unresponsive on the bathroom floor. However, she was already dead when the paramedics arrived.
Hewitt said that he had attempted CPR on his mother and that he ‘may have broken a few ribs’. Later medical enquiries showed that the extent of the fractures could not have been caused by him performing this procedure.
He will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court in Middlesex on Tuesday, 16th April.
