A mother and her boyfriend have been sentenced to a combined 28 years in prison for inflicting injuries on her two-year-old son that were as severe as those seen in car crashes. Kol Page was found not breathing with bruises over his face and an abdominal injury in April 2022. His mother, Zoe Coutts, and her partner, Scott O’Connor, attempted to deceive medics and detectives about the cause of Kol’s injuries.
Kol suffered catastrophic brain damage and spent two years in hospital requiring round-the-clock care. His foster parents moved into the hospital with him, but he ultimately died in June 2024. His foster parents described his suffering: “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. It was so hard to comfort him, I wanted to cuddle him but it would cause him too much pain.” They added, “I immediately fell in love with him. I knew he needed someone to be there for him, to protect him. I see him as my child; I may not have given birth to him, but I see him as my son. I am blessed to have been able to have looked after Kol for the time I did.”
Prosecutors stated that the extent of Kol’s injuries was usually “seen in a serious road traffic accident or a fall from a height onto a hard object.” The violence escalated while Kol was in the care of his mother and her partner. O’Connor, 36, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 18 years’ imprisonment, while Coutts, 35, received a 10-year sentence.
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. Kol was boisterous, cheeky and endlessly loving to everyone who knew him. He should have had a bright future, but was instead let down by those who should have protected him most. He will always be remembered.”
