Dope-smoking thug who forced his partner's child to pose with a cannabis joint is convicted of murdering the toddler just two months later during a drink and drugs binge 

A drug dealing thug has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend's toddler son by beating him to death after binge-drinking vodka and smoking cannabis.

Violent Hardeep Hunjan, 27, of Luton, Bedfordshire, beat 13-month-old Noah Serra-Morrison to death at the flat where he lived with the child and his mother, Ronnie Tayler-Morrison, 23.

Noah's death at the hands of his mother's unemployed boyfriend came after he had endured weeks of violence in which he suffered 15 fractured bones in his arms, his legs and his left foot. When he died he had injuries like those found on car crash victims, or people who have fallen from a high building.

After his death from a massive head injury which caused his skull to fracture, Hunjan claimed the toddler had toppled out of his tiny cot in his bedroom resulting in the 15cm wound across his skull.

But detectives were told such injuries were likely to have been caused by the child being deliberately and violently swung against a wall or floor or by his limbs being twisted with 'severe force'.

Violent Hardeep Hunjan, 27, (pictured left) of Luton, Bedfordshire, beat 13-month-old Noah Serra-Morrison (right) to death at the flat where he lived with the child and his mother, Ronnie Tayler-Morrison, 23 (far left)

The jury did not believe his lies and found he beat the little boy to death, but acquitted Tayler-Morrison of her son's murder.

Instead, she was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and cruelty to a person under 16. Hunhan was also convicted of cruelty to a person under 16.

The court heard the couple chose a 'drug and alcohol-fuelled lifestyle over his happiness' and waited over an hour before calling emergency services to try and save him.

Both will be sentenced tomorrow afternoon. During the six week trial at Luton crown court both had said the other was responsible for Noah's murder at the flat they all shared.

Jurors previously heard that a post-mortem examination of the tragic baby's body revealed a series of harrowing injuries and died from a 'massive head injury' after he was slammed against a hard surface. 

Noah had also suffered multiple limb fractures consistent with being twisted or swung and a post-mortem examination revealed 24 bone fractures across his body. 

After Noah's death from a massive head injury which caused his skull to fracture, Hunjan claimed the toddler had toppled out of his tiny cot (pictured) in his bedroom resulting in the 15cm wound across his skull

His mother told the jury on the night her son died she had passed out and came to with her boyfriend telling her Noah had fallen out of his cot. 

It was a story told to ambulance staff, neighbours and repeated at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, and then to detectives.

Medical experts who examined the child's body, which was covered in bruises, concluded that his injuries were so severe, they were similar to those likely to be found in a car crash or fall from a building

But medical experts who examined the child's body, which was covered in bruises, concluded that his injuries were so severe, they were similar to those likely to be found in a car crash or fall from a building.

Detectives were told such injuries were likely to have been caused by the child being deliberately and violently swung against a wall or floor or by his limbs being twisted with 'severe force'.

The injuries could not have been caused accidentally, they were told

Had he survived, the little boy would have been severely brain damaged.

The post-mortem examination carried out on the child showed his numerous traumatic injuries did not match a fall from a cot.

Taylor-Morrison and he partner then attempted to break their bail conditions by fleeing to Scotland.

After the verdicts today Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told them they will be sentenced on Friday afternoon.

During the trial, the jury saw shocking pictures of the couple's 'chaotic' lifestyle which was fuelled by drinking and drug taking.

Following the death of little Noah last November at the flat in Luton where he lived with his mother and Hunjan, detectives seized mobile phones from the couple.

The jury was told the iPhone belonging to Tayler-Morrison was painstakingly examined.

Detective Constable Solomon Beere was tasked with going though text messages, photos and video clips on the phone.

He told the court how he found one photograph on the phone dated July 8 of last year which showed Tayler-Morrison posing with a handful of herbal cannabis.

The officer then told the jury how he discovered one photo, which was dated September 20 2015 and which showed Noah, then aged 11 months old, with a cannabis joint behind his right ear.

He found video clips showing the couple smoking cannabis.

On the night of November 19 last year, with baby Noah just hours from death, Hunjan was filmed smoking three joints at once through a home made tube (pictured)

On the night of November 19 last year, with baby Noah just hours from death, Hunjan was filmed smoking three joints at once through a home made tube.

Reggae music could be heard playing in the background and Tayler-Morrison then joined in to smoke the joints through the tube.

Both were shown smiling broadly and, at one point, Mr Hunjan could be heard laughing hysterically at Tayler-Morrison as she appeared to drift off to sleep.

Noah had been born to Tayler-Morrison in October 2014.

Together with Noah's father, Stefano Coiana, they all lived in a flat in Northolt, Middlesex.

But, in early 2015, her relationship with Mr Coiana finished and she began a new one with her co-defendant, Hunjan who was known as 'H.'

Detectives were told the toddler's injuries were likely to have been caused by the child being deliberately and violently swung against a wall or floor or by his limbs being twisted with 'severe force'

Giving evidence, Tayler-Morrison told the jury 'He was excellent with Noah. He was a proper kid's person - he was good with babies. He wasn't a typical Asian. We smoked and drank and we liked to go out. We were outgoing people.'

Hunjan, who had been raised in a Sikh family, was known to have a temper and had been to prison for violence. He had convictions for grievous bodily harm and assault.

He drank and regularly smoked cannabis, which he bought in bulk, selling quantities to friends and using the money he made to buy more.

The court heard by last summer the couple's lifestyle was 'chaotic,' with drinking and cannabis smoking.

There were frequent arguments.

Prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff QC said the couple's relationship was fuelled by alcohol and cannabis and based on 'love, jealousy and control.'

One entry police found in her diary read 'I don't see life without him and as much as this sounds selfish, I know that I love Noah, but I love Hardeep more.'

Asked in the witness box about the picture of her son with the spliff behind his ear that had been found on her phone, Tayler-Morrison who said her parents were on Indian heritage, told the court 'It is a spliff. It is a photo. It didn't mean nothing. There was no purpose behind it.'

The mother said the photo was not a mark of disrespect to Noah. She said she thought her partner, who she called H, took the picture.

The court heard the three briefly lived in Hull before Tayler-Morrison got a two bedroom flat in Crawley Road, Luton, Beds.

Hunjan quickly moved in with her and Noah and soon they had acquired a dog, a Bulldog-Mastiff cross. Neighbours frequently heard the couple arguing, walls banging and a baby crying.

He had been arrested for causing grievous bodily harm on a woman neighbour and was having to sign on regularly at Luton Police station.

In Luton, the mother wanted little to do with health visitors for her son. One had to cold call on her at the flat, having been made aware of Noah's arrival in Luton.

The mother and her lover were told the crib they had for him was too small.

Two weeks before his death, Noah's grandmother - who was the mother of his real father - noticed a massive bruise on the child's face.

Maria Serra said it ran from his temple, down his face and under his chin.

She told the court that when she questioned Tayler-Morrison, she was told the dog had jumped on the boy and scratched him while playing.

On the early evening of Friday November 20, Hunjan took the child with him to a nearby Sainsbury store where he bought vodka for him and Tayler-Morrison.

Later that evening, he went out on his own to buy a litre bottle of vodka and a pack of ice.

Back at their flat, they were drinking and smoking cannabis.

Tayler-Morrison told the jury she had three glasses of vodka and smoked a number of joints.

Hunjan, who had been raised in a Sikh family, was known to have a temper and had been to prison for violence. He had convictions for grievous bodily harm and assault

She said she couldn't remember anything until Hunjan woke her and told her he had found Noah out of his cot and lying in the floor.

He told the court Tayler-Morrison had been 'mashed' that night as they lay on the floor of their lounge drinking, smoking cannabis and listening to music.

Hunjan said he left her on the floor late that night while he went out to a local chicken shop to buy a takeaway meal.

When he returned he said she was still lying on the floor but when he went to check on Noah he found the child out of his cot and lying on the floor with his right eye 'half closed' and black dots visible on his forehead and a red mark under his nose.

Despite Noah's injuries, the couple delayed calling for an ambulance for nearly an hour and a quarter.

During that time, Tayler-Morrison used her phone to search the Internet, googling the search terms 'My Baby is Hurt' and 'My baby is breathing but not moving.'

Noah had also suffered multiple limb fractures consistent with being twisted or swung. A post-mortem examination revealed 24 bone fractures across his body. The injuries in green were inflicted over a number of weeks, the red within a week of Noah's death and the red marks show injuries he sustained half an hour to 2 hours before he died

Half an hour later she phoned her student nurse sister, telling her she had found Noah on the floor after he pulled a fan on to his cot, and that he was 'awake and moving, with his eyes open', but 'not with it and not crying'. 

But she did not call an ambulance until almost 3.30am. Hunjan apparently attempted CPR, but Ms Bickerstaff said that if he did so 'it was a false and futile attempt, for show'.

Hunjan took the toddler under a shower in an attempt to wash away any forensic evidence, said the prosecutor.

When Tayler-Morrison eventually made the 999 call to the ambulance service and told the operator down the phone that her son wasn't breathing after falling out of his cot she was given instructions on how to administer mouth to mouth rescusitation and CPR.

Detective Constable Solomon Beere was tasked with going though text messages, photos and video clips on the phone. He told the court how he found this photograph which shows Tayler-Morrison posing with a handful of herbal cannabis

Paramedics were then left waiting at the door, the court was told, and Noah was found on a bedroom floor, cold and with major swelling to the right side of his head, no heartbeat and not breathing. Tayler-Morrison claimed Noah had fallen from his cot.

The toddler was pronounced dead in hospital at 4.10am.

Police broke into the flat and arrested Hunjan, finding him hiding under a duvet in the kitchen with his dog, while Tayler-Morrison was arrested at the hospital.  

A doctor told police officers who had arrived at the hospital that the explanation given by the mother for the injuries to the boy were 'suspicious' and not consistent with a fall from a cot.

When police officers went to the flat shortly afterwards, Hunjan was found hiding under a duvet in the kitchen and arrested. 

After the jury's verdicts, Noah's father Stefano Coiana said 'When Noah was alive he made my life happy. It wasn't his job to make me happy but he did. He did it by just being here.

'He completed my life - he made life worth being here, worth waking up in the morning and worth trying again and again even when I failed.

'Noah was the most important thing to me. More than my mum, more than anything. Before Noah was here, my life was normal. Not a care in the world other than what to do with myself and my time. But when Noah came it made my life special. I had someone that loved me and I loved him.

'It was good to love Noah. He loved me unconditionally - what can you say to describe how that feels? It was just so very, very good. I don't see a lot in my future without him.'

Noah's paternal grandmother Mrs Maria Serra said 'Noah was everything you could hope for and so much more. He was a happy, cheerful soul who had an inquisitive nature. He had such a beautiful, sweet, sweet soul. And he was cheeky - very cheeky.

When the first ambulance crew were eventually called to the flat at around 3.30am on the morning of Saturday November 21, Tayler-Morrison (pictured) claimed Noah had fallen from his cot

'He loved to laugh. He loved it if you sung to him. Already at such a young age he had such a pleasure and joy in music and song. And he was a pleasure to sing to. Noah was affectionate and his affections for the people in his life knew no limits.

'Noah was very amusing - he caused us many a chuckle in the little things he did, the way he reacted to life around him. The expressions on his face - all that is good in life you could find in the expressions on Noah's face.

'I suppose you could say that of all babies, but with Noah there was just that extra sparkle of something special. I think it was the sweetness of his soul that would just shine through.'

Noah's maternal grandmother, Mrs Varsha Patel said 'Noah had an infectious smile, lovely big dark eyes and curly hair. He was always a happy and smiley baby and a pleasure to be with at all times.

'As soon as he came out of the car or woke up, we all fought as to who gets to hold him first. He was a beautiful baby and would have been a real heartbreaker with all the ladies. Your heart would melt when he would look at you with his cheeky eyes.

'We were fortunate to spend a lot of quality time with him, capturing many amazing memories that will always remain with us in our lives.

'His early departure on the 21st November 2015 has left a massive void in our lives as he was loved by all of us. Nolly will be greatly missed but never forgotten. He will always remain in our hearts forever and ever. Our loss, heaven's gain.'

Noah's father and paternal grandmother (pictured) have paid tribute to their 'beautiful, sweet, sweet soul'

POLICE SAY 'SHEER MALICE AND UTTER CRUELTY' OF CASE MADE IT ONE OF THE WORST CASES OF CHILD ABUSE THEY HAD EVER SEEN

Detective Inspector Fraser Wylie from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said this was one of the most shocking and sickening cases of violence they had ever come across.

He said: 'Rarely do we come across a case that involves such sheer malice and utter cruelty against a small child, by two people who were supposed to love and care for him.

'Throughout this case the disregard shown by both Tayler-Morrison - Noah's own mother - and Hunjan has been evident, not least in the fact they attempted to evade justice by attempting to flee to Scotland whilst on bail.

'Poor Noah experienced fear, pain, neglect and extreme brutality during his too-short life.

Both Hunjan and Tayler-Morrison will be sentenced tomorrow afternoon. During the six week trial at Luton crown court both had said the other was responsible for Noah's murder at the flat they all shared 

'No child deserves that, and it has been evident throughout our investigation and the trial that Tayler-Morrison and Hunjan chose a tumultuous, drug and alcohol-fuelled lifestyle over his happiness and welfare.

'Little Noah suffered unimaginably as a result of the volatility of his mother's relationship with Hunjan, who today has been convicted of the little boy's murder.

'Even in his death he was denied any dignity by being left to suffer for more than an hour.

'This has truly been one of the most shocking and sickening cases of violence we have ever come across, and I would like to thank my tenacious, dedicated team of investigators who have worked so hard in all hours of the day and night to bring this traumatic case to a resolution.

'Though nothing can ever bring back their beautiful boy, I hope today's verdict can bring some semblance of peace for Noah's wider family.'

The 999 call was eventually made one hour and 14 minutes after the call to Tayler-Morrison's sister.

In the call Tayler-Morrison can repetitively be heard saying 'he's not breathing' and 'he fell out of his cot and he's not breathing'.

The operator then gave directions to her to give mouth-to-mouth to Noah and she can be heard blowing during the call.

She also was talked through giving Noah chest compressions where she can be heard crying throughout. 

ALCOHOL, CANNABIS AND JEALOUSY: THE CHAOTIC LIFE OF NOAH'S MOTHER AND HER BOYFRIEND 

The chaotic relationship of the couple responsible for 13-month-old Noah Serra-Morrison was laid bare in his mother's diary.

The lives of Ronnie Tayler-Morrison and her boyfriend Hardeep Hunjan were fuelled by alcohol and cannabis and based on 'love, jealousy and control', prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff QC told Luton Crown Court.

Among her handwritten diary entries in 2015, Tayler-Morrison wrote: 'I don't see life without him and as much as this sounds selfish I know that I love Noah but I love H more.'

The chaotic relationship of the couple responsible for 13-month-old Noah Serra-Morrison was laid bare in his mother's diary (pictured)

She also wrote: 'So he got rude and I left him and bought Noah home. He turned up at my door, strangled me, threw me around, smacked a bottle on my head, broke the fish tank. 

'Called me a wanna be model, slag and lots of other things. I hate him right now.'

The jury was shown another diary entry in which Tayler-Morrison said: 'I don't care what has happened all I no is that I still want him.

'Why am I so crazy about him. I'm sitting on the living floor and all I feel right now is ugly, wasted away, unwanted and unneeded. 

'He said it himself, this is why I don't get along with anyone, further more this is why no1 wants to get along with me, and I bet its the same with him.

'Just like the few close people I've had. One day he will leave me to.' 

In graffiti written on the wall of their flat, on Crawley Road, Luton, Beds., the young mum wrote to her boyfriend: 'My whole life is dedicated to you and ONLY you.' 

A multi-agency serious case review, which involves more than one local authority, is on going at the moment which will examine the dealings social services had with Noah and his mother and her partner.

A multi-agency serious case review, which involves more than one local authority, is on going at the moment which will examine the dealings social services had with Noah and his mother and her partner (pictured: the hope where Noah lived with his mother and her partner)

The review is being lead by Luton Borough Council's Luton's Safeguarding Children Board.

Fran Pearson, Independent Chair, Luton Safeguarding Children Board, said: 'Luton Safeguarding Children Board has commissioned a serious case review (SCR) to scrutinise the actions and decisions of the organisations that had contact with the child and his parents. 

'It will establish whether there are lessons to be learnt from the case regarding the way professionals and agencies work together to safeguard children at risk. 

'The review will not be concluded until the criminal proceedings have been completed, as any new evidence presented will need to be considered.'

A Council spokesperson said: 'Luton Borough Council was not directly involved with this family and, as a serious case review is under way, it would be inappropriate to comment on this case.'