Father jailed for life after killing son

A 27-year-old man who was found guilty of killing his two-week-old son has been given a life sentence.

Daniel Gunter, of no fixed address, was found guilty in July of murdering Brendon Staddon at Yeovil District Hospital in the early hours of 5 March last year.

At Bristol Crown Court today (Friday 3 October),he was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 20 years to be spent in jail.

Brendon, who was born prematurely at 33 weeks on 20 February 2024, was described by Prosecutor Charles Row KC as weighing ‘less than a couple of bags of sugar’ when Gunter carried out his assault.

The baby sustained ‘catastrophic’ and fatal injuries from head to toe, including a shattered skull and multiple broken bones.

Last year, Brendon’s mother Sophie Staddon – who was acquitted at the end of the joint trial earlier that year – approached the nurses’ station asking for help, describing Brendon as ‘feeling cold’.

Doctors and nurses rushed to try and save Brendon, but sadly he died just before 5am.

During the trial, the jury was told how Gunter was repeatedly told to stop handling, overstimulating and fussing baby Brendon by tickling him, poking him and not allowing him to rest.

They were also told how Gunter was witnessed ‘being rough’ with Brendon and becoming angry with him when he would urinate on him during nappy changes.

In the hours before Brendon’s death, the nurses on duty noticed Gunter’s demeanour changing. The court was told: “By 3.30-3.40am, [the nurse] said Brendon was with Mr Gunter. She looked in and asked ‘is he alright?’ to which Gunter replied ‘yes, he’s alright’, but in a way that the nurse considered odd.

“His reply did not seem natural to her. He seemed excited, his response was unusually animated, and he was nodding exaggeratedly. The nurse thought it was as if he didn’t want her to go over to him.”

But this wasn’t the first time Gunter’s behaviours have been noticed by family.

The jury was told about Gunter’s emotionally abusive and controlling behaviour towards his on-again, off-again ex-partner Ms Staddon.

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.

Senior Investigating Officer Det Ch Insp Nadine Partridge, from the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “Gunter’s actions against Brendon are diabolical and that innocent baby has had a potential happy and long future taken away from him.

“The injuries which Brendon sustained were catastrophic and there wasn’t a part of his body which wasn’t bruised or broken. To think someone could do such vicious things to an innocent child does break my heart.

“I would like to give my condolences to Brendon’s wider family, who have all been affected by his death and they have been incredibly brave when supporting the investigation.

“This has been a long and complex investigation, involving several different departments and outside agencies, and I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to everyone who assisted us in getting this case across the line and brought before judge and jury.”