A father accused of murdering his premature baby reportedly shouted and became angry at the infant, a jury has been told. Two-week-old Brendon Staddon suffered catastrophic injuries to his head, neck, legs, and jaw while in the special care baby unit at Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset on March 5 last year.
Brendon’s parents, Daniel Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 23, both face charges of murder and causing or allowing the baby’s death. At Bristol Crown Court, Louise Besica, Gunter’s aunt, described her observations during two visits to see her great-nephew at the hospital.
Brendon was born on February 20, and Ms. Besica first visited two days later, returning again on February 24. During her initial visit, she witnessed Gunter’s anger after a nurse informed him he could not pick up or change Brendon for 20 minutes because the baby had just been fed via a nasogastric tube.
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“He said, ‘It’s not up to the nurses to tell me what to do,’” Ms. Besica told the court.
Although Gunter eventually waited as timed, he appeared visibly upset—his face flushed and his voice rising in pitch. “He insisted Brendon was his baby and that he should be allowed to change him,” she said, describing his tone as loud and angry.
Ms. Besica also observed that Gunter handled Brendon roughly. “He was a bit rough, which caused Brendon to cry,” she recounted. She stepped in to comfort the baby but saw him start crying again after being returned to Gunter.
Meanwhile, Ms. Besica described Staddon as sitting quietly in a corner during these incidents, seemingly indifferent or uninterested. When Staddon was alone with Ms. Besica, she was chatty and engaged, but in Gunter’s presence, she became more silent, often allowing him to speak for her. “It felt like he had taken control,” Ms. Besica said.
On her second hospital visit, Ms. Besica overheard Gunter become angry after Brendon urinated on him while changing his nappy. His tone was sharp and frustrated as he exclaimed, “For God’s sake,” behaving “really rough” when dressing the infant.
Ms. Besica also noted a lack of visible bonding between Staddon and Brendon, saying, “I didn’t see any connection at all, no mummy bond, nothing like that.”
Concerned by what she observed, Ms. Besica gave formula milk to the hospital staff and spoke with a nurse, requesting extra attention for Brendon. The nurse assured her that she would monitor the situation discreetly.
A post-mortem examination revealed Brendon died from blunt force trauma to the head, along with multiple non-accidental injuries.
Gunter and Staddon, both currently of no fixed address, deny all charges of murder and causing or allowing Brendon’s death.
The trial is ongoing.