In a harrowing case that has shocked the UK, bodycam footage has captured the moment a mother cried out “It’s not fair… He’s my baby. I do everything for my children” as her two-year-old son was rushed to hospital after being brutally beaten while in her care and that of her boyfriend.

Kol Page tragically died on 29 June 2024 from catastrophic brain damage and severe internal injuries inflicted more than two years earlier. The toddler suffered the devastating harm in April 2022 while under the supervision of his mother, Zoe Coutts, 35, and her boyfriend Scott O’Connor, 36. After 14 months in hospital followed by devoted care from a foster family, Kol finally succumbed to the injuries that had left him with profound disabilities.

The Metropolitan Police have now released shocking bodycam footage and detailed the couple’s web of lies as they attempted to cover up months of sustained abuse. Following a thorough investigation, O’Connor was acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday. Coutts was found guilty of allowing the death of a child after more than ten hours of jury deliberations.

The pair had met on the dating app Bumble in late 2021. In the early hours of 24 April 2022, they returned home to their flat in Bromley, south-east London, after a night of drinking. The following morning, emergency services were called to reports of a child not breathing. London Ambulance Service paramedics rushed Kol to hospital, where doctors immediately recognised that his injuries — extensive bruising to his face and a serious abdominal trauma — were consistent with punching, kicking or stamping by an adult.

Both Coutts and O’Connor were arrested the same day. In police interviews, the couple repeatedly claimed Kol’s injuries were self-inflicted due to his supposed “clumsiness”. O’Connor told officers the toddler had fallen out of his cot onto toy bricks. Coutts initially told paramedics he had fallen from his highchair, then changed her story, claiming she had left him briefly to get a snack and returned to find him unconscious. After her arrest, she went further, alleging O’Connor had sexually abused the boy and was solely responsible for the injuries.

The Metropolitan Police investigation exposed these accounts as lies. Detectives established that Kol had endured months of “ruthless beatings” at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. The couple had systematically deceived family, friends and even social services, repeatedly attributing his visible injuries to falls and bumps. Harrowing photographs released as part of the case showed severe bruising across his body, black eyes, and a bald patch on his head where hair had been torn out — injuries doctors confirmed could only have been caused by direct adult force, not by the child himself.

Disturbing text messages between O’Connor and Coutts further revealed their callous attitude. The pair exchanged photos of Kol’s injuries and joked about harming him. One message from O’Connor read: “Jesus slap him back to sleep lol”, while another complained, “it’s the whining that drives me insane haha”. Despite the rules of Coutts’ accommodation prohibiting male visitors, O’Connor had stayed over 28 times in the month before the fatal assault. Even on the morning of 24 April, as Kol lay dying, the couple continued messaging each other about their hangovers and dinner plans rather than the child’s condition. When Coutts finally realised her son was not breathing, she chose to call a friend instead of dialling 999 immediately — a delay that doctors believe caused the critical lack of oxygen leading to Kol’s catastrophic brain damage.

Social services had been due to visit on several occasions when Kol displayed significant bruising, but Coutts repeatedly cancelled the appointments.

After his initial hospitalisation, Kol spent over a year receiving intensive medical care before being placed with a loving foster family. He remained severely disabled until his death two years after the assault.

Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, who led the investigation, said:

“Kol was an innocent little boy who suffered horrific abuse in the place where he should have been safest — at home with his mother.

“Coutts and her new boyfriend, O’Connor, tried to deceive paramedics, doctors and police officers, repeating lie after lie about how Kol came to be so seriously injured.

“It was the tireless work of detectives that exposed the couple’s lies, combing through months of messages, appalling pictures and CCTV evidence to uncover the sustained abuse suffered by that little boy.

“Kol was boisterous, cheeky and endlessly loving to everyone who knew him. He should have had a bright future, but was instead let down by those who should have protected him most. He will always be remembered.”

The convictions bring to a close a case that has highlighted the devastating consequences of domestic abuse and the failure of two adults to protect a vulnerable child.