A Bromley man has been found guilty of causing the death of a 17-month-old baby boy in north London.

The youngster, from Haringey, died in August last year with a catalogue of injuries which included a broken back, fractured ribs and a missing tooth.

Yesterday (November 11) a jury at the Old Bailey found the mother's 32-year-old live-in boyfriend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and their lodger Jason Owen, aged 36, of Wittersham Road, Bromley, guilty of causing or allowing the death of the baby.

The boyfriend and Owen, who is also thought to have an address in Grove Street, Deptford, were found not guilty of the baby’s murder.

Instead, they were convicted of the specific charge of "causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable person", under section five of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004.

The law prevents several adults blaming each other for the death of a child or vulnerable adult.

During the trial, the pathologist who performed the baby’s post-mortem examination, Professor Rupert Risden, told the jury there was “no natural explanation” for the severe injuries which led to his death.

He said the baby’s broken back was so severe that it had “opened like a hinge”.

He added: “This was the result of a forceful extension, indicating the likelihood the child’s body had been put over a banister or a knee. This happened at least some days before the child’s death.”

He admitted the injuries would have left the child paralysed and unable to empty his bladder.

He said: “I’ve never personally seen an injury of this nature. This is the sort of thing that might occur in a road traffic accident.”

The baby also had a missing tooth, which was found in his stomach, and old fractures were found to his ribs and right leg.

The jury also heard that Owen, who had been living at the address in Haringey for five weeks before the baby's death, took part in a clean-up operation to get rid of the toddler’s blood-stained clothes.

CCTV footage recovered by police showed the mother’s boyfriend carrying a black bag with the dirty baby clothes to Tottenham cemetery in north London.

A blood-soaked baby bib was also found behind the youngster’s cot and another bag of clothes covered in his blood was found in the kitchen.

The baby was on Haringey Council's child protection register at the time of his death.

His 27-year-old mother, from Haringey, previously pleaded guilty to allowing the death of her child.

The mother, her boyfriend and Owen will be sentenced next month.