Alfie Steele: Boy's mother did nothing when he was shouted at, trial hears

Alfie Steele was found cold and lifeless in a bath at his home in Droitwich in February 2021

A murder trial has been told a nine-year-old boy who was found dead in a bath had been shouted at in the street by a man, while his mother looked on.

The incident had been reported by a teaching assistant at Alfie Steele's school in Droitwich, Worcestershire, in the year before he died.

"I thought she would stop the man, but he carried on yelling," the teaching assistant told Coventry Crown Court.

Alfie's mother, Carla Scott, and her partner, Dirk Howell, both deny murder.

Anita Nicholson said although she didn't teach him, he would often show her his school work.

She was asked about an incident which she had reported to the school where she saw a man shouting at Alfie outside Droitwich Spa medical centre in March 2020.

"I came out of the pharmacy and heard awful shouting".

"I saw a man shouting at Alfie. He was as close as you can get, pointing and poking his finger".

Ms Nicholson told the jury how Alfie's mother Carla then came out of the doctors surgery and walked straight past.

"I thought she would stop the man, but he carried on yelling," she said.

The court then heard Ms Nicholson saw Carla Scott walk off, followed by Alfie with the man still shouting at him from behind.

Ms Nicholson said she told the headteacher of the school the following day and filled out a record of concern, which was passed onto a caseworker.

Unclear cause of death

A medical expert who carried out a post mortem examination said Alfie suffered from a lack of oxygen and blood supply to his brain before he died in February 2021.

Possible causes included blunt force trauma or drowning.

Dr Safa Al-Sarraj, a consultant neuropathologist, explained there was damage to an area of Alfie's brain which sends signals to the heart, which can cause cardiac arrest.

But he said it was unclear what the cause had been.

'Eyes were wide'

Two witness statements were read to the court from people who saw a man, believed to be Mr Howell, in Droitwich around the time Carla Scott was making the 999 call to the paramedics.

One witness, an off duty police officer, said she saw Mr Howell walking towards a grass area which leads off the Copcutt estate periodically looking behind him and said his "eyes were wide" and he "looked startled".

The trial continues.