Stephen Waterson, 30, the son of former Tory minister Nigel Waterson, was returning home after shopping in South London when he reversed his electronic car seat onto Alfie Lamb crushing him

The “arrogant” son of a former Tory minister jailed for more than seven years in 2019 for crushing his girlfriend’s three-year-old son to death with his car seat has been released early from prison.

Stephen Waterson, 30, was returning home after shopping in South London when he reversed his electronic car seat onto Alfie Lamb who was sitting at his mother’s feet in the footwell behind.

the child began crying and choking but his mother Adrian Hoare told him to “shut up” before Waterson put the seat forward again.

By the time the trio arrived at Waterson’s home in Croydon, south London, Alfie had collapsed and stopped breathing.

He died at St Thomas’ Hospital in South London from catastrophic brain damage on February 4, 2018, three days after the sickening incident.

Waterson, the son of former Tory MP Nigel Waterson, who was described by police as “arrogant, selfish and deeply unpleasant”, then tried to avoid prosecution by repeatedly lying and intimidating witnesses.

Waterson and Hoare assaulted the two other passengers, in the Audi A4, in a bid to cover up their crime, the Old Bailey heard at the time.

The driver, Marcus Richardson, was assaulted and threatened by Waterson, while Hoare slapped Emilie Williams across the face two weeks after Alfie’s death, it is claimed.

Waterson denied manslaughter during an earlier trial in which the jury was unable to reach a verdict, before pleading guilty on the first day of his retrial.

During sentencing, Old Bailey judge Mr Justice Timothy Kerr told Waterson that he was “manipulative, dishonest, deceitful, controlling, threatening, and sometimes violent”.

He was not due for release until 2023 and is on license until 2025, after being jailed at the Old Bailey for manslaughter and perverting the course of justice by lying to police, and intimidating witnesses.

But the child killer, who was 26 at the time of Alfie’s death, has now been released early.

Hairdresser Hoare, who was just 24 at the time, was jailed in May 2019 after being convicted of child cruelty.

While her two-year and nine-month sentence was also cut short, she was recalled to prison last year for breaching her license conditions.

Before going back, however, Hoare, who has lived in both Gravesend and Chatham, told a newspaper she was a good mum.

Hoare, a former Northfleet School for Girls pupil, was cleared of manslaughter.

The Mirror has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.