Daniel Gunter: Dad crushed baby’s skull, then went out for a cigarette in Somerset

WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS

A father has been jailed for life after he murdered his two-week old premature son while he was still in hospital.

Daniel Gunter, 27, denied killing Brendon Staddon after he was found with catastrophic injuries, including a fractured skull and a broken neck and jaw as well as broken legs.

After a jury found him guilty of murder in July, Gunter was sentenced to life imprisonment on October 3.

His son Brendon was in Yeovil District Hospital’s special care baby unit in Somerset after he was born at 33 weeks on February 20, 2024, when the horrific murder took place.

During the trial, the court was told that Sophie Staddon, the baby’s mother, had alerted nurses early in the morning on March 5 after she woke up and found Brendon “cold”.

As doctors attempted to resuscitate Brendon, who was only 14 days old, Ms Staddon went outside with Gunter “for air” and the pair had a smoke.

Dr David Sweet, a medical expert who reviewed the baby boy’s death, concluded that his injuries must have been inflicted at least 25 minutes before his parents raised the alarm, the BBC reported.

Prosecutor Charles Row told the Bristol Crown Court that Brendon would have either died or been dying while he was still in Gunter’s arms.

Referring to the evidence of medical experts, Mr Row said the baby’s injuries were “akin to a fall from a multi-storey building’.

He also told the court Gunter was controlling toward Ms Staddon, taking over her finances, deciding when and who she could speak to, what she was allowed to eat and drink and when she could smoke.

Gunter and Ms Staddon shared a smartphone, laptop and email address, which Gunter had previously used to send messages impersonating Ms Staddon.

Andrew Langdon gave points in mitigation for Gunter, including that he was “immature for his age”, had a “very low IQ” and had “recognised emotional and learning difficulties”. He also noted Gunter’s difficult childhood.

Justice Swift was not satisfied that there were any mitigating factors in Gunter’s offending and found that there must have been some pre-meditation to his actions.

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

Mr Swift said the assault was “beyond comprehension”, calling the attack “brutal” and Brendon’s injuries “horrific”.

Gunter was handed a minimum jail sentence of 20 years. He has already spent 491 days remanded in custody, and will therefore serve 18 years and 239 days.

Ms Staddon was acquitted of causing or allowing the death of a child.