Dad Daniel Gunter guilty of murdering two-week-old son in hospital

A father has been found guilty of murdering his two-week-old son in a special care baby unit.

Daniel Gunter, 27, inflicted “catastrophic injuries” to the head, neck, legs and jaw of Brendon Staddon. Brendon was found in his cot at Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset on March 5 last year.

Bristol Crown Court heard that after inflicting the fatal injuries which left his son's head "crushed", Gunter walked out of the hospital for a cigarette, leaving nurses desperately attempting to resuscitate him. Gunter was convicted of murder following a three-week trial.

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His former partner, Sophie Staddon, 23, was cleared of causing or allowing the death of a child. A female juror was visibly upset as the foreman returned the verdicts and as she wiped tears away, she was comforted by two fellow jury members.

The jury previously found Staddon not guilty of murder and cleared Gunter of causing or allowing the death of a child on the direction of the trial judge, Mr Justice Swift. The defendants showed no emotion as the verdicts were returned.

Gunter, of no fixed address, will be sentenced on a date to be fixed. Remanding Gunter into custody, the judge told him: "Daniel Gunter you have been found guilty of murder. You will be remanded into custody pending the sentencing hearing.

"Sophie Staddon you have been acquitted by the jury. Your bail will no longer be necessary and you are free to go." The trial heard hospital staff had discovered Brendon’s injuries after Staddon told nurses her son was cold and asked them to check on him.

Charles Row KC, prosecuting, said: "Staff found him lying in his cot with his baby grow open. They immediately saw that he wasn't just cold but that he had suffered catastrophic injuries.

"In plain language, his head had been crushed so as to shatter his skull. He was badly bruised from head to toe, with deep scratches in his neck. He was later found to have, amongst other injuries, a broken neck, a broken jaw, broken legs, broken ankles and broken wrists."

The prosecution said staff carried his "limp, lifeless body" to the resuscitation area, but Brendon did not respond to treatment. The jury heard Gunter and Staddon were arrested by the police while smoking outside.

Mr Row said that before Brendon died, social services and Gunter's family were worried about the "lack of emotional warmth" the couple showed their child. When Brendon was born on February 20, 2024, attempts were made to persuade Staddon to stay in the hospital, but she went back to the temporary accommodation she shared with Gunter.

While in hospital, Gunter repeatedly ignored the advice of nurses, taking Brendon out of the incubator without asking, overstimulating the child to the point of causing him distress and removing his nasal gastric tube. Family members had witnessed Gunter shouting and getting angry at Brendon while visiting them in hospital and would handle him roughly.

Louise Besica, Gunter's aunt, said: "I felt like he had no patience. He was really rough with him with how he was putting him in his babygrow." Mr Row said the jury needed to understand the "sheer brutality" involved in the death. A post-mortem examination found Brendon died of "blunt force impact(s) head injury" with multiple non-accidental injuries to the head.

The court also heard the pair had an "on, off" relationship, with Gunter described as being "violent" towards his partner, controlling her finances and who she could talk to. A social worker visited the couple in January 2024, telling them that the authorities were planning to remove the baby from their care when he was born.

"The authorities were concerned about many things, including their precarious housing situation, the way Mr Gunter appeared to control Ms Staddon and her finances, Ms Staddon’s physical and mental health and their lack of engagement," Mr Row said. He told the jury the couple showed no emotion at the news.

Gunter told officers: "At no stage did I do anything to Brendon that could have caused him any injury. I was with Sophie the whole time and she didn’t do anything either."

In a separate statement, Gunter said: "I would never hurt my baby boy." Staddon told police: "I had done nothing to harm Brendon at all. I love him. He was my everything. I would not have harmed him."

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