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 at Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset.
Brendon was discovered in his cot on March 5 last year with injuries so severe that his head had been "crushed". Bristol Crown Court heard that after inflicting the fatal injuries, Gunter walked out of the hospital for a cigarette whilst nurses desperately attempted to resuscitate his son.
Jury delivers verdicts after trial
Gunter was convicted of murder following a three-week trial. 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, wiping away tears as two fellow jury members comforted her. The jury had 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.
Hospital staff discovered brutal injuries
The defendants showed no emotion as the verdicts were announced. 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."
Mr Justice Swift told Staddon: "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 that hospital staff discovered Brendon's injuries after Staddon told nurses her son was cold and asked them to check on him.
Multiple broken bones found
Charles Row KC, prosecuting, told the court: "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."
Parents arrested outside hospital
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 police whilst smoking outside the hospital.
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 hospital, but she returned to the temporary accommodation she shared with Gunter.
Gunter ignored medical advice
Whilst in hospital, Gunter repeatedly ignored nurses' advice, taking Brendon out of the incubator without permission, overstimulating the child to the point of causing distress and removing his nasal gastric tube. Family members had witnessed Gunter shouting and getting angry at Brendon during hospital visits and handling him roughly.
Louise Besica, Gunter's aunt, told the court: "I felt like he had no patience. He was really rough with him with how he was putting him in his babygrow." Row said the jury needed to understand the "sheer brutality" involved in the death.
Authorities planned to remove baby
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 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," Row said.
Defendants denied causing harm
The jury heard the couple showed no emotion at this 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."
Gunter, of no fixed address, will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
