Man to be sentenced for toddler stepson's murder

A man who murdered his two-year-old stepson after the child suffered a sickening catalogue of injuries is to be sentenced.

Chevaze Sanchez McGregor pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Birmingham Crown Court to killing his partner's son, Jeremiah Regis-Ngawah, who died after a traumatic blow to his stomach.

McGregor, 30, used physical chastisement to "toughen children up" according to prosecutors and beat little Jeremiah with fists, a belt and a rod in order to discipline the youngster.

In a statement issued after McGregor's guilty plea, West Midlands Police said Jeremiah died in hospital after collapsing at his home in High Street, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, on November 20 last year.

He was pronounced dead in hospital in the early hours of the following day.

A post-mortem examination showed Jeremiah died of abdominal peritonitis caused by blunt force trauma.

The youngster was also found covered with more than 100 previous injuries including a bite mark to his chest and a fractured skull.

The toddler's mother, 26-year-old Sindyann Laverne Regis, pleaded guilty to allowing the death of her son at an earlier hearing.

Both defendants are due to be sentenced at the Birmingham court later.