The mother of a two-year old son was accused of beating him to death. She made a non emergency NHS call and warned that her body was ‘going foggy’. His eyes were also ‘rolling back’ just before his death, according to a court.
Phylesia Shirley (24 years old) called 111 rather than 999 to save her 2-year-old son Kyrell Matthews in her south London one-bedroom apartment.
The jury in London heard a recorded of this phone call on Thursday. Brown identified herself as the mother of the boy and answered questions.
When asked what was wrong, she replied casually to the operator at 111: “Basically Kyrell is acting very funny.”
He added, “Like his body is floating, and his eyes are rolling back, and his chest has stopped breathing.”
Shirley Brown and Kemar Brown, her former partner, are accused of hitting little Kyrell multiple times over several weeks.
According to jurors, the child, who was not verbal at the time of his death, suffered 41 broken ribs.
Brown’s defense team has since claimed that the injuries to young Kyrell resulted from ‘incorrect advice’ by NHS 111 regarding how to resuscitate him.
Both deny the murder. Shirley admits to having allowed the death of a child and severe bodily harm, but Brown who was not the father of the child has consistently denied these accusations.
Kyrell Matthews was two years old when he suffered abuse from his mother Phylesia Shirley, and Kemar Brown, according to recording evidence on her cellphone. Prosecutors said Kyrell had been abused for months by his boyfriend Kemar Brown.
At the Old Bailey, the prosecution claims that Kyrell sustained fatal injuries during at least five incidents over the period of his death.
Brown claims that the injuries to young Kyrell are the result of incorrect NHS 111 advice on how to resuscitate him.
Jurors received the 111 call on Thursday. Shirley said to a operator that Kyrell was “acting very funny” and was “floppy”, with his eyes rolling back.
Shirley was instructed how to help Kyrell in an emergency.
Shirley was instructed to use two-handed compressions of the chest and breathes by a medical adviser.
Shirley wept as her teacher told Shirley to “push down hard, fast”.
After counting all the compressions loudly, she was advised to ‘Don’t be afraid’ and Press hard.
Shirley continued the process, and she received another reminder: “Don’t be afraid too push.”
Court sketch of Phylesia and Kemar Shirley at the Old Bailey, London
As his mother continued to provide first aid under the nurse’s direction, Kyrell was heard making a louder noise.
Asked if that was him making noise, Shirley said: ‘He’s awake, his eyes just opened but he’s not looking at anything, he’s just staring.’
The nurse asked: ‘Is his chest rising and falling regularly?’
‘No,’ sobbed Shirley.
As the arriving ambulance could be heard on the recording, the nurse urged Shirley to continue breathing air into her son’s lungs and chest compressions.
Jurors were told that the ambulance arrived 12 minutes after the initial call and continued to tried to save the child’s life, but were unable to obtain a heartbeat.
Kyrell died at Croydon University Hospital upon her arrival.
Prosecutor Edward Brown QC, earlier said: ‘Phylesia Shirley was not alone – Kemar Brown was there at the time [of the incident] too.
‘Kyrell was rushed to Croydon University Hospital and despite extensive efforts by medical staff to revive him, they could not do so and life was pronounced extinct at 16:15.
‘As you have heard, at no time were they able to restore any heart beat. He had died at the flat.’
Brown claimed that he went to the shops to find Kyrell asleep when he got back to the hospital.
Brown reported that their toddler became limp and began to twitch as they tried to wake it up.
While Shirley was ‘distressed’ when emergency services arrived and became ‘hysterical’ when Kyrell was declared dead, Brown was calm and disengaged throughout.
Shirley Brown and Brown, both of whom deny murder, are currently on trial at London’s Old Bailey (pictured).
The prosecution, Mr Brown QC, stated that Kyrell’s ribs were crushed by or broken by blows in the 4 weeks prior to October 20.
“At least one of these defendants clearly inflicted significant injuries in at most five incidents over the period leading to the death of… Kyrell.”
“The harrowing recordings vividly brought out the distress and pain he experienced during his four-weeks of abuse.
“On October 20, the ribs of his victim were again crushed – it caused him to die.”
Police discovered hidden audio files that Shirley had stored on her mobile phone. It was believed this was an attempt to get Brown out of his marriage.
Multiple audio files were included where Kyrell appeared to have been repeatedly hit by Brown, and Brown said’shut down’, which caused the toddler’s tears and screaming.
Prosecutors also claimed that Brown had previously inflicted a number of blows upon the boy, before telling him, “You must ruin the fun.”
The prosecution also claimed that Shirley struck her own child while causing him to weep in distress.
Shirley was said to have done the secret phone recording at her 1-bedroom apartment to see if Kemar Brown had been secretly calling other women.
Kyrell Matthews died after her child was killed. Police found disturbing evidence in the audio recordings that Brown, the boy’s nonverbal son, had been repeatedly hit. Brown said ‘Shut Up’ which caused the toddler’s to cry out and scream.
The prosecution’s Mr Brown stated to jurors that it made for difficult listening because you’ll hear Kemar Brown hit the child repeatedly on different days and hear Kyrell crying.
One recording shows Kyrell being heard becoming more distressed by’slapping noises’ and hitting sounds’, as Brown instructed him to “shut down”.
The jury was told by Brown that he admits to using his voice in the recording.
Shirley was then said to have asked Brown: “What did he do?”Brown replied, “He got up!”
According to the prosecutor, “Plainly she (Shirley), has experienced distress at best, anticipating punishment for Kyrell being taken by Kemar Brown.”
It is evident, according to the prosecution, exactly what you are able to hear.
The fourth recording was taken August 2019. Brown can be heard telling Kyrell “Stop crying, Stop crying, yeah!” and then imitating her baby’s cry followed by two slapping sound minutes apart.
Brown is heard saying, “What are you crying for?” Minutes later.After that, there are two hits, or slaps. Kyrell then yelps faintly and cries.
Brown was not moved by the sound recordings.
According to the prosecution, this case was characterized as an ‘intentional pattern of significant and repeated assaults against a young and defenseless child’.
Jurors were informed that Kyrell, who had spent the previous day somewhere else, was reportedly unable to return home after one instance in the days leading up to his death.
Jurors learned that the toddler didn’t attend nursery but was instead in full-time custody of his mother (then 21).
The court found that neither defendant had been employed during the time leading to Kyrell’s death.
The two also stated that they were in the same flat several times. Shirley was able to confirm Shirley’s claim via CCTV.
Shirley of Bensam Manor Road in Thonton Heath (south London) denies the murder, but she has admitted to allowing the killing of a child as well as allowing severe physical injury.
Brown, from Grange Park Road in Thornton Heath (south London), denies murdering, causing, or allowing the child’s death, and causing, or allowing, serious bodily harm to another child.
The trial is continuing.