TWO people have each been handed a 10-year prison sentence following the death of a 24-day-old baby.
Stanley Davis, of Gosport, England, sustained more than 40 fractures on three separate occasions.
Staff at Southampton General Hospital made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life support last March before he was even a month old.
This week, Stanley’s mother, Roxanne Laura Davis of Lee Road in Gosport and her ex-partner, Samuel Lloyd Davies of St Peters Road in Basingstoke, were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to 10 years each.
The pair had earlier been found guilty at the same court of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Davis, 30, and Davies, 24, will serve half of their sentences on licence.
Shocking injuries
When he was just 12 days old, Stanley was taken to hospital with bruising to his head on March 16, 2017.
He was then presented at Blake Maternity Centre on March 21 with a serious head injury at 17 days old and admitted to hospital.
A police investigation was subsequently launched and Stanley later died on March 28.
Davies and Davis were arrested and charged as part of the investigation.
“The extent of his injuries at such a young age were truly shocking, no child should have to suffer in the way that he did,” said Detective Chief Inspector Fiona Bitters of Hampshire Constabulary.
“Stanley was found to have sustained 32 fractures to his ribs, nine fractures to the bones in his arms and legs, and an 8cm skull fracture which was the fatal injury.
“These fractures appear to have been sustained on three separate occasions.
“A difficult decision was taken by the medical team treating him at Southampton General Hospital that his life support machines would be turned off when he was just three weeks old due to the nature of his injuries. Sadly he later died.”
'Harrowing circumstances'
Speaking after their conviction, Carl Anderson of the Crown Prosecution Service said neither of the pair reported any issues with Stanley at post-natal appointments.
“Both the defendants denied killing Stanley but it was clear from all the evidence that one of them had caused the horrific head injury that killed him,” he said.
“The other was, or should have been aware, that there was a risk of serious harm to Stanley because of the multiple fractures he had already suffered but instead of doing something to prevent anything further happening to him, they did nothing.
“Our thoughts are with the members of Stanley’s extended family who have lost a child in such harrowing circumstances.”
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