Kol Page was found unresponsive by paramedics in 2022
The mother of a four-year-old boy has been jailed alongside her boyfriend after he suffered catastrophic brain damage under their care.
Two-year-old Kol Page was found by paramedics at a home on Downham Way, Bromley, on April 25, 2022. When they arrived, he was found without a pulse, with significant bruising to his head and face and a serious injury to his abdomen that was caused by a stamp or a punch. His mother, Zoe Coutts and boyfriend Scott O’Connor, had returned home earlier that evening from a night of drinking.
Kol spent 14 months in the hospital before moving to live with a foster family. Two years later, on June 29, 2024, Kol sadly died from his injuries. On Wednesday, March 25 2026, after a four-week trial, Coutts was convicted of allowing the death of a child. She was sentenced to nine years and 109 days in jail. O’Connor, 36, was convicted of manslaughter. He was sentenced to an 18-year custodial sentence with a five-year extended sentence.
Kol’s foster parents explained how he was so badly injured when they first met him that they moved into the hospital to look after him. In their statement, they wrote: “I immediately fell in love with him. I knew he needed someone to be there for him, to protect him. He was in so much pain. He would cry out in pain so much. You could hear him from the lifts as you walked into the hospital. I knew it was him as he had such a distinctive cry.
“It was so hard to comfort him. I wanted to cuddle him, but it would cause him too much pain. But it was nice as the staff would say thank goodness you are here, as when he could hear my voice, it would placate him. This meant that I knew he loved me in the same way I loved him.”
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, whose homicide team 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 boyfriend, O’Connor, tried to deceive paramedics, doctors and police officers, repeating lie after lie about how Kol came to be so seriously injured.”
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “This is a heartbreaking case. During his short life, and while in the care of someone who should have been keeping him safe, Kol was subjected to sustained violence that caused catastrophic injuries and ultimately led to his death. Our thoughts are with all those who cared for and loved this little boy.
“When a child dies in such circumstances, it leaves many people asking how such a tragedy could happen. Ultimately, O’Connor is responsible for Kol’s death and his mother, Coutts, for allowing it to happen. Babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they are completely reliant on the adults around them for care and protection.”
Anyone who has concerns about a child’s welfare or safety can contact the NSPCC’s free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]. People should call the police on 999 if a child is in immediate danger.
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