Man who beat five-year-old boy to death for losing shoe facing life sentence

A stepfather is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of battering a five-year-old boy to death in a park for losing a trainer.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, flew into a rage and subjected his girlfriend's son Alex Malcolm to a brutal attack in Mountsfield Park in Catford, south-east London.

Witnesses heard a child's fearful voice saying "sorry", loud banging and a man screaming about the loss of a shoe.

Alex suffered fatal head and stomach injuries and died in hospital two days later.

One of his trainers was later found in the play area by police.

Iheanacho, who was in a relationship with Alex's mother Lilya Breha, was convicted of murder at Woolwich Crown Court.

The offence carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, but a judge will set a minimum tariff on Tuesday.

Alex's head, neck, and body were covered with bruises after the attack on November 20 last year.

Iheanacho, from Hounslow, west London, carried the unconscious boy to a minicab office and took him to Ms Breha's flat, while the nearest hospital was just a five-minute walk away.

He then attacked Ms Breha when she tried to call an ambulance, but she managed to grab the phone after noticing her son was getting cold, his face had turned blue and he had stopped breathing.

Doctors at Lewisham Hospital tried to resuscitate Alex, but a CT scan showed he was suffering from severe brain swelling, and he was transferred to King's College Hospital.

He was pronounced dead on November 22 after an unsuccessful operation.