The video can today be published, two days after tragic Kol Page’s mum Zoe Coutts and her boyfriend Scott O’Connor were found guilty of offences in relation to his death
This is the moment a lying mum whined “it’s not fair” after allowing her evil boyfriend to beat her young son to death.
Two-year-old Kol Page tragically died after suffering “serious internal injuries” while in the care of his mother Zoe Coutts and former Territorial Army corporal Scott O’Connor. Newly-released footage shows Coutts, 35, dramatically crying in front of police officers who attended her home, telling them: “It’s not fair… He’s my baby. I do everything for my children.”
The shocking scene, caught on a police bodycam, was released after O’Connor, 36, was found guilty of manslaughter over the tot’s death and Coutts was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child. O’Connor and Coutts, who met on the dating app Bumble, were found guilty on Wednesday after a court heard evidence Kol had suffered “catastrophic” injuries and the pair had concocted a “tissue of lies” in a bid to escape justice.
READ MORE: Chilling video shows smirking killer branding his two-year-old victim ‘crazy’READ MORE: First picture of tragic toddler beaten to death by ex-Territorial Army corporal
The couple, who are now due to be sentenced in May, were on trial at Southwark Crown Court where jurors heard O’Connor had ruthlessly beaten Kol for months and had even torn his hair out, leaving him with black eyes and a bald patch. Coutts cancelled planned visits from social workers at times where photos show Kol had significant bruising and during the same period the couple exchanged pictures of his injuries and joked about hurting him. One harrowing text from O’Connor read: “It’s the whining that drives me insane haha”.
The campaign of terror culminated in Kol being rushed to hospital, aged two, in April 2022, when doctors found he had serious internal injuries consistent with punching, kicking or stamping. He was left with catastrophic brain damage and severe disabilities, meaning he needed round-the-clock care. He went on to spend 14 months in hospital before moving to live with a foster family. Two years later, on June 29, 2024, he died from his injuries aged four.
Jurors were also shown text messages between the couple, including an exchange on the morning of April 20, 2022 when Coutts had messaged O’Connor to say Kol had been “whinging”. O’Connor replied telling her: “Jesus slap him back to sleep lol”.
Prosecutor Ed Vickers KC told the court that over the period of March to April, 2022, Kol suffered bruising of an escalating severity. The court heard that between March 11, 2022, and March 25, 2022, O’Connor was present at Coutts’ home on eleven occasions, staying overnight at least seven times, including on April 24 when the pair went to bed and Kol slept in the cot alongside them.
Neither of the defendants had suggested anything unusual happened that night, the prosecution told jurors. The following morning, Coutts was describing Kol as on the sofa and wriggly, adding he was “pretty chesty” and that maybe phlegm on his chest caused him to be sick.
On the day O’Connor brutally beat Kol, the couple continued to message each other minutes before the ambulance was called. Instead of discussing Kol or his injuries, they spoke about their hangovers and what they wanted to eat that evening. Even when Coutts realised her son was not breathing, she chose to call a friend rather than immediately phone an ambulance. Doctors believe that this time without oxygen meant Kol suffered serious brain damage.
The emergency services were eventually called to the home in Bromley, South East London, and Kol was taken to hospital where he had surgery and three injuries to the small bowel were seen. Coutts claimed in interview Kol was an active child who was constantly running and climbing over furniture which caused him to bruise easily. O’Connor added: “What’s happened (is) ’cause of the way Kol is and stuff. He’s just – he’s always hurting himself and he’s very clumsy. That’s, that’s what I think happened.”
Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, Coutts, denied ever hurting her son, and tearfully told the jury: “I would never hit him, at all, ever.” Asked to explain the injuries, Coutts told the court: “With everything I’ve seen, with the evidence, it must have been Scott, and there’s evidence to prove it.”
She said O’Connor told her Kol had previously sustained two black eyes in an accidental fall while climbing out of his cot. Coutts also claimed to the jury she had never seen O’Connor being violent towards her son. The pair denied all of the charges against them, but jurors returned their verdicts, which included clearing them of murder, after 10 hours and 45 minutes of deliberation.
Speaking earlier this week, Det Chief Insp Kate Blackburn 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 new boyfriend, O’Connor, tried to deceive paramedics, doctors and police officers, repeating lie after lie about how Kol came to be so seriously injured.
“It was the tireless work of detectives that exposed the couple’s lies, combing through months of messages, appalling pictures and CCTV evidence to uncover the sustained abuse suffered by that little boy. I want to thank the first responders who tried to help Kol in a case that has been particularly harrowing for all involved, especially the doctors and nurses who cared for him over such a sustained period of time and his foster carers who gave him immense compassion and safety.
“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.”
Richard Murrison, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, remain with Kol and everyone who knew and loved him. He was a little boy who, like all children, deserved to be safe, loved, and protected.
“It is devastating that he was failed in the worst possible way by the very people who should have cared for him most. The evidence in this case painted a deeply disturbing picture of the escalating abuse Kol suffered in his own home.
“Zoe Coutts’ then partner, Scott O’Connor, was responsible for subjecting Kol to the horrific abuse which left him profoundly disabled and ultimately led to his death, and she took no action to stop or report it, allowing it to happen.” Mr Murrison, a senior crown prosecutor for the CPS London Homicide Unit, added: “This has been an incredibly complex and difficult case with multiple challenges being overcome.
“Securing these convictions has required tireless dedication from our prosecution team, working in close collaboration with trial counsel and the Metropolitan Police. Today’s verdicts are a testament to the painstaking work of everyone involved and to our commitment in getting justice for Kol.”
