Dad jailed for life after murdering baby in Yeovil hospital

A father who murdered his two-week-old baby son on a neonatal ward has been jailed for life.

Daniel Gunter, 27, of no fixed address, denied harming Brendon Staddon but a jury at Bristol Crown Court found him guilty of murder in July and he was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years at the court earlier.

The jury heard Brendon suffered catastrophic injuries, including a fractured skull, a broken neck, a broken jaw and broken legs, in Yeovil District Hospital’s special care baby unit in Somerset on 5 March 2024.

Sentencing Gunter, the Honourable Mr Justice Swift said: “You, Mr Gunter, were responsible for [Brendon’s] care and his safety. There was an extreme abandonment of duty in that case.”

Brendon’s mother, Sophie Staddon, was acquitted of a lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Warning: This article contains details that some may find distressing, including details of severe injuries.

Brendon was born prematurely at 33 weeks on 20 February 2024 – weighing 1.83kg (4.03lbs) – and died at 14 days old in the early hours of 5 March.

During the trial, the jury heard nurses had observed Gunter shouting at Brendon and showing “no patience” with him as well as being “really rough with him”.

In Brendon’s final hours, Ms Staddon told nurses she woke up to find Brendon “cold” and as doctors tried to resuscitate him, the court heard, she and Gunter went outside “for air” and smoked.

Nurses discovered Brendon in his cot at about 04:00 GMT and immediately saw he had catastrophic injuries, jurors were told.

Dr David Sweet, who reviewed Brendon’s death, concluded he must have suffered his injuries at least 25 to 30 minutes before the couple raised the alarm, jurors heard.

Charles Row KC, prosecuting, told the court he would have “died or was dying” in Gunter’s arms.

Medical experts described Brendon’s injuries as “akin to a fall from a multi-storey building”, Mr Row added.

Mr Row also told the court Gunter was controlling towards Ms Staddon and questioned whether he was Brendon’s biological father.

The jury was told how he controlled her finances, dictating who she could speak to and spend time with, what and how much she ate and when she smoked.

The pair shared a mobile phone, laptop and email address and Gunter would, on occasion, send messages pretending to be Ms Staddon.

Andrew Langdon KC, mitigating, told the court Gunter was “immature for his age”, had a “very low IQ” and had “recognised emotional and learning difficulties”.

He added Gunter had a “tough childhood”.

But Mr Justice Swift said: “I am not satisfied there are any mitigating factors.

“The extent of the injuries puts me beyond doubt that you acted with the intention to kill.”

He added there “must have been some pre-meditation”.

The judge told Gunter there was “no sentence that I could pass today that could possibly ease the family’s grief”.

He added: “Your son Brendon was highly vulnerable and you were responsible for his care.”

The judge described the attack as “brutal” and Brendon’s injuries as “horrific”, adding the assault was “beyond comprehension”.

In an impact statement written by Simon Gunter – the defendant’s father and Brendon’s grandfather – he said Brendon was “just perfect”.

He said “time stopped still” when he was told Brendon had died and said he had been unable to speak to his son since.

The family gave Brendon a “beautiful send off” at his funeral, he added.

“We will never see his first crawl, his first steps or his first word.

“He didn’t even have a chance to give us his first smile.”

Speaking outside court, Det Ch Insp Nadine Partridge said Gunter’s crime was “incomprehensible”.

She added: “This has been one of the most harrowing investigations our team has ever faced.

“The loss of such a young and innocent life has had a profound impact, not only on the family and those who knew Brendon, but also on the staff at Yeovil District Hospital and all those involved in the investigation.”

A spokesperson for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Yeovil District Hospital, confirmed a child safeguarding review into Brendon’s death would be published later this year.

“This was an incredibly distressing criminal case about the murder of a vulnerable two-week-old baby while he was being cared for in Yeovil District Hospital,” the spokesperson said.

The judge gave Gunter a minimum term of 20 years of which he has already served 491 days, meaning he will serve the remaining 18 years and 239 days.

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