Michael Harrison: Father jailed for murder of his 11-year-old son

A father who beat his 11-year-old son to death has been jailed for life for his murder.

Mikey Harrison was found by paramedics on Thorpes Road, near Shipley Country Park, in Heanor, Derbyshire, on June 18 last year and later died.

Michael Harrison claimed his son had fallen from a tree while the pair were playing hide-and-seek.

In reality, the fatal injuries were the result of a sustained beating by Harrison - the reason for which he has never revealed.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, before a “sudden” decision earlier this year admitting that he had murdered Mikey.

The 41-year-old, of Eaton Terrace in Mapperley, Nottingham, drove his critically injured son across Heanor in an attempt to cover up the assault.

Det Insp Paul Bullock said: “Michael Harrison has never given an account for why he killed Mikey but his conduct on the day of the tragic events makes it abundantly clear that his primary interest was his own freedom and not the life of his own son.

“We now know the truth, that Mikey was killed by Harrison after a brutal assault that left him with the most serious of injuries. Harrison a strong, fully grown man would have been under no illusion that Mikey was anything other than seriously injured.

“Instead of seeking the medical help that he clearly, so badly needed, he attempted to concoct a story that Mikey had fallen from a tree in a nearby park. Even driving there to ring the ambulance service in an attempt to make his story believable.

“The fact Mikey’s life was tragically cut short at the hands of someone who was meant to love and care for him, is heart-breaking and unfathomable. It has left his family utterly devastated and I would like to personally thank them for their strength and courage during this harrowing investigation.

James Whyley, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mikey’s death was a tragic waste of life, caused by his own father in a senseless, brutal attack.

“It is difficult to understand how someone can use such uncontrolled violence against a child who looks to them for protection, let alone the callous way he tried to cover his tracks instead of seeking medical treatment.”

At Derby Crown Court, Harrison was sentenced to a minimum term of 21 years and six months on May 18.