Stephen Waterson, 26, was jailed for inflicting irreversible brain injuries on Alfie Lamb, his girlfriend’s son, in 2018.
Waterson initially denied manslaughter but changed his plea to guilty before a retrial in September. Alfie had been sat at his mother Adrian Hoare’s feet in the rear footwell of the car at the time. She was jailed for child cruelty in May.
Mr Justice Kerr said when sentencing Waterson he was “cunning, manipulative, threatening, and controlling”.
Justice Kerr said: “I do not find you were annoyed with Alfie and moved your seat back because of that annoyance.”
But he said he was satisfied he moved his car seat back twice “for your own comfort”.
Alfie sadly suffered irreversible injuries.
The judge accepted character references from Waterson’s parents, who were in court, and agreed he was “not all bad”.
Hoare was handed a sentence of two years and nine months but cleared of manslaughter at the earlier trial.
