Daniel Evbuomwan
About the Recipe
Three-year-old Daniel Evbuomwan was brutally murdered in 2013 by his uncle after being punished for wetting the bed. His death, caused by catastrophic internal injuries, exposed the devastating consequences of hidden abuse within families.
Victim: Daniel Evbuomwan, aged 3, living in Downham/Bromley, southeast London.
Perpetrator: Ben Igbinedion (then aged about 43) of the Bromley/Downham area.
Incident: In March 2013, Daniel was sharing a room with the defendant and his own son after wetting the bed. The uncle assaulted Daniel; post-mortem described “catastrophic” injuries akin to a road-traffic accident. He died at University Hospital Lewisham.
Outcome: Ben Igbinedion was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey. He was later given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 17 years (reported).
Location/Date: Downham/Bromley, southeast London – March 2013.
Background & Context
Daniel was only three years old and living in South-East London. He had been sent from Nigeria by his parents to stay with his grandmother in London, while his mother worked night shifts as a nurse.
He was staying the night with his aunt and her partner at the partner’s home in the Downham/Bromley area because the grandmother wished to attend church.
The uncle, Ben Igbinedion, had been caring for Daniel and his own children at the time. The court heard that Daniel and the uncle’s youngest son were sleeping in the same bedroom.
The injuries Daniel sustained were described as “catastrophic” by the pathologist so severe they were likened to those seen in high-impact road collisions.
The case raised significant concerns within the local community about safeguarding, the invisibility of young children in domestic settings, and how bed-wetting was used as a trigger for extreme violence.
Daniel had no prior known serious health issues and was described as a “normal” little boy. The night of the attack he had wet the bed, which triggered the fatal assault.