Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Man convicted of killing his unborn baby by kicking pregnant ex-girlfriend in stomach

She suffered life-threatening internal bleeding and her baby boy was delivered stillborn

Samuel Osborne
Thursday 17 December 2015 20:20 GMT
Malorie Bantala outside the Old Bailey in London, 17 December, 2015
Malorie Bantala outside the Old Bailey in London, 17 December, 2015 (Anthony Devlin/PA Wire)

A man has been convicted of killing his unborn baby by kicking and stamping on his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend's stomach after she refused to have an abortion.

Kevin Wilson, 22, and a 17-year-old boy were found guilty at the Old Bailey of child destruction and causing grievous bodily harm to Malorie Bantala, 22.

As the 32-week pregnant woman approached her home on 15 June, Wilson and his accomplice emerged from bushes outside her flat disguised in crash helmets.

Kevin Wilson, who has been found guilty along with a 17-year-old boy at the Old Bailey of child destruction and causing grievous bodily harm to Malorie Bantala, his ex-girlfriend, on 15 June, 2015 (Metropolitan Police)

Jurors were told they launched a brutal attack, targeting Miss Bantala's baby bump as she lay curled up on the ground, using one hand to protect her unborn child, the BBC reports.

She suffered life-threatening internal bleeding and a fractured hand - her baby boy was delivered stillborn.

Apologising for his behaviour, Wilson told jurors: "When I look back on it now, I could have behaved much better."

Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The incomprehensibly evil actions of these two defendants have cruelly snatched away the life of an unborn baby boy who was just weeks away from being brought into the world.

"I would like to thank the victim for her courage in giving evidence against her attackers in this heart-breaking case."

The maximum sentence for the offence of child destruction is life.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in