A police team who led the investigation into “disturbing and distressing” killing of three year old Harvey Borrington have received commendations from Nottinghamshire Police chief constable. Leila Borrington, then 23, of Main Road in Jacksdale, was sentenced to 15 years in jail after being convicted of killing Harvey, her stepson.
Leila Borrington attacked Harvey on 7 August 2021, inflicting “blunt force trauma”. She then filmed him as he lay injured on the floor. She denied attacking Harvey, saying that he had banged his head after falling off a sofa. But the jury, who heard that there was a history of abuse by Leila Borrington, convicted her of manslaughter.
Last week, DI Simon Harrison, who led the police investigation, received a commendation for his work, along with other officers on the team: DS Steve Eley, DC Neil Pagan, DC Clare Easter, Investigation Officer Helen Evans, DC Daniel Akehurst, Investigation Officer Phil Cumberpatch, and DS Karl Aram.
The lead prosecutor who presented the case in court, Jonas Hankin KC, together with junior prosecuting barrister Laura Pitman, were also commended.
All 10 were praised for “their work on an extremely challenging investigation into the death of a three year old boy.” The citation says that “the team went above and beyond to collate evidence to ensure charges were authorised in what was a deeply distressing case.
“The determination and thoroughness of the team was of the highest standard and resulted in the child’s stepmother receiving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter.”
Kings Mill Reservoir Rescue
Another commendation went to local Police Constable Jack Grace for displaying “bravery and selflessness” when he went into the water at Kings Mill Reservoir to help a distressed woman and bring her to safety. The commendation said that “by entering the water PC Grace put aside any regard for his own welfare to save a person’s life.”
It is the second bravery award in two years for PC Grace. Last year, he and fellow officer PC Dan Snowdon were recognised for risking their own safety to save a woman who was on the wrong side of a bridge over the A38 in Kirkby. “Both officers bravely positioned themselves on the wrong side of the bridge with little ledge to stand on in order to rescue the woman from an awkward and dangerous position”, last year’s commendation said.
Other Awards
More than 70 police officers and four members of the public were recognised in last week’s awards ceremony at the Nottinghamshire Police force headquarters in Arnold, for “an array of achievements, from showing courage in emergency situations to protecting the public and securing justice for victims”, the force said in a statement.
“It was an immense privilege to recognise and celebrate the outstanding commitment, perseverance and determination in difficult circumstances of so many colleagues”, chief constable Kate Meynell said. “I’m incredibly proud and humbled to hear the amazing stories and incredible acts of bravery – including from members of the public – and I’d like to personally thank each and every one of them for their actions and contribution.
“We have made a firm commitment to fighting crime, protecting vulnerable people and ensuring our communities feel safe and listened to, and those receiving commendations should all be proud of their achievements and the difference they have made to local communities.
“It was therefore a great honour to celebrate and recognise the incredible work of so many inspiring people.”
The other commendations, with citations wording taken from Nottinghamshire Police, went to:
- PC Holly Gascoyne
PC Dan Abey
DC Tracey Marshall
Sgt Zoey Price
Sgt James Carrington
PC Rose Barton
PC John Cross
PC Charlotte Watts
PC Theo Denton
for their exemplary level of service and support to a young rape victim. The hard work put in by all of the officers ensured that a dangerous offender was identified, arrested and put behind bars. - Sgt Andrew Foulds
for intervening in a road rage incident while driving home from a busy shift. After observing a driver get out of his vehicle and punch another driver in the face, Sgt Foulds put himself in harm’s way to prevent the incident escalating further. The victim and his wife were so grateful for Sgt Foulds’ intervention that they personally wrote to the chief constable to document their thanks. - Insp Hayley Crawford
for her dedication to building trust and confidence in communities and for her outstanding work to reduce violence against women and girls by addressing issues head on and creating solutions such as the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign. Hayley’s colleagues and team members admire her tenacity in tackling sensitive and complex issues, as she navigates them with grace and determination. - PC Dan Butler
PC Jonathon Lee
PC Nick Johnston
PC Stevie Dolan
PC Paul Henson
for displaying bravery and resilience when a suspect discharged a firearm over their heads. In the face of such extreme criminality, the officers methodically completed their task to a high standard. Their work meant that the offender was safely apprehended and put before the courts. - Emily Patterson
for going beyond her role as an apprentice to help victims of child sexual exploitation. Since joining Nottinghamshire Police in 2022, referrals to the force’s youth outreach programme have drastically increased – such is the impact Emily has when engaging with young people affected by abuse. - Romel Davis
Emily Patterson
Sophie Wheeler
Matthew Stollery
for going above and beyond in their work on Nottinghamshire Police’s live our best lives awards. The four showed a level of commitment and determination that ensured the ceremony was a huge success and helped break down barriers between the police and young people. - Sgt Joshua Lee-Taylor
Sgt Karl Wilson
PC Shane Adams
PC James McKeown
PC Yat Cheung
PC Gez Hornsby
PC Ronnie Landa
PC James Marr
PC Danielle Mistrella
for their hard work and professional response when deployed to a football match in Birmingham that was marred by serious crowd disorder. Five police officers, two police dogs and two police horses were injured in the unprecedented violence involving Legia Warsaw supporters, resulting in 46 arrests. - Sgt Louise Ellis
for her work within the city centre operation reacher team to reduce shop thefts. Due to the volume of reports, a new streamlined model was created in partnership with the CPS and stakeholders. This model is now promoted as best practice by the national retail crime advisory group, helping shape how retail crime is policed across the country. - Sgt Gavin Skevington
for his work in aiding the police service’s neurodiverse community. Sgt Skevington is passionate about helping others, offers support to colleagues and works to develop a workforce fit for the future. By sharing his own experiences, Sgt Skevington has broken down barriers and enables colleagues to feel supported in seeking help for neurodiverse conditions. - PC Thomas Griffith
PC Alfie Russell
for acting swiftly and risking their own safety to save a woman’s life. Both officers displayed exemplary communication, investigation and observation skills to prevent the woman falling from a bridge as she became increasingly unwell. - Sgt Rachel Dowsett
PC Luke Bayliss
PC Andy Carter
PC Louise McClue
PC Mitchell Lewis
PC Graham Thompson
PC Sophie Patterson-Lees
PC Nicola Garrow
PC Matthew Head
PC Ami Minto
PC Rory Simpson
for working together to ensure members of the community were brought to safety during Storm Babet. All officers demonstrated compassion and tenacity to safely evacuate more than 500 residents. - Annamarie Hendry
Petra Lane
Sgt Anthony Faulkner
Sgt Richard Hallam
PC Richard Hardy
PC Richard Elliot
PC Gareth Dennett
PC Alasdair Gordon
PC Daniel Gilmour-Jones
for working quickly and effectively in challenging circumstances to locate a suicidal woman, before ensuring she received advanced first aid that ultimately saved her life. - PC Alyse Jones
for her quick-thinking and courageous actions whilst off duty to save the life of a toddler, who’d become seriously ill after falling from a chair and hitting their head on a hard surface. Without Alyse’s immediate action and first aid skills, the outcome could have been gravely different. - PC Hannah Woods
PC Michael Appleton
PC Aron Oszko
PC Ben Price
PC Tom Munday
PC Paramjit Badwal
PC Sophie Lee
PC Stephen Harrison
Insp Andrew Wright
Sgt Gary McGovern
for displaying utmost professionalism when responding to a fatal house fire in Clifton, which claimed the lives of a mother and her two young children. Each officer played a key role in the crucial hours that followed, including collating evidence, guarding and preserving the scene and setting up safe evacuations for nearby properties. Their actions helped ensure that the man responsible for the fire received a life sentence. - DC Jo Wilkinson
for her commitment and dedication to protecting the public, having worked within the force’s management of sexual or violent offenders (MOSOVO) department for 16 years. She is highly dedicated to the management of offenders and in addition to her main role, has recently helped design a training package that will enable Nottinghamshire Police to become the regional lead in this area.
