Man jailed for murdering toddler stepson 50 years ago

A man who murdered his stepson almost 50 years ago in a brutal assault has been jailed for life after a Facebook picture triggered a fresh investigation by police.

David Dearlove, 71, will serve a minimum of 13 years after a jury found that he had swung 19-month-old Paul Booth by the ankles and bashed his head against a fireplace in 1968, then lied about what he had done for decades.

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The attack was witnessed by Paul’s brother, Peter, who was three years old at the time, after he crept downstairs at the family home in Stockton, Teesside, to get a drink.

Peter did not initially realise that he had witnessed his brother’s murder, Teesside crown court heard. He “scarpered” upstairs, and never saw his sibling alive again.

He and his sister were briefly taken into care and when they returned to the home the toddler was not there.

Peter later told police what happened after piecing together childhood memories, but no action was taken.

Police investigated at the time but no action was taken and an open verdict was recorded at Paul’s inquest.

Paul’s mother, Carol Booth, who split from Dearlove in 1970 and died in 1991, never discussed Paul’s death, Peter told the court.

She told him “you didn’t see anything” and “leave it alone” when he asked her as a teenager, he told the jury. After hearing evidence in the two-week trial, the jury convicted Dearlove.

He was buried in an unmarked grave the location of which remains unknown and he was not spoken about for many years.

“I want to pay tribute to Paul’s family and other witnesses who provided such an emotive testimony, and I praise their bravery in having to relive events from 50 years ago.”