Overview

• Daniel Gunter, 27, was sentenced to life imprisonment with eligibility for parole after 18 years and 239 days, following his July conviction for murdering his 14-day-old son, Brendon Staddon.
• The assault happened in Yeovil District Hospital’s special care baby unit with nurses working less than five metres away, and experts likened the injuries to those from a high fall.
• Medical and post-mortem evidence showed Brendon’s skull was shattered with a broken neck and jaw and multiple limb fractures, which the court found were caused by very severe, deliberate force.
• As staff tried to resuscitate the infant, Gunter and the child’s mother went outside to smoke; she was later acquitted of causing or allowing Brendon’s death.
• A Child Safeguarding Practice Review is under way to examine hospital procedures and social services actions, with police noting a possible motive linked to fears over a mother-and-baby placement.