Baby who died in hospital ‘suffered a fractured skull’
APREMATURE baby suffered a skull fracture when he died at Yeovil District Hospital, a court heard yesterday.
Two-week-old Brendon Staddon died at the hospital where he had been brought as a patient at around 5am last Tuesday.
Police officers were called by hospital staff soon after the baby’s death and an investigation was launched by the Major Crime Investigation Team.
Daniel Gunter, 25, and Sophie Staddon, 20, of Street and Yeovil respectively, were charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.
The charge against Gunter and Staddon alleges that “being a member of the same household as and having had frequent contact” with Brendon, the pair either caused his death or did not protect him from a foreseeable “significant risk of serious physical harm”.
In a brief hearing at Bristol Crown Court yesterday, prosecutor Robert Yates confirmed Brendon Staddon had been born prematurely at Yeovil District Hospital and was in the neonatal unit of the hospital.
Neither Staddon nor Gunter appeared in the dock and have not yet issued a plea.
Mr Yeates said: “Brendon was a premature baby born on February 28 this year.
“He was in Yeovil District Hospital’s neonatal unit. He was born at 33 weeks and a day. He was progressing well and stable.
“He died in the early hours of the morning of March 5 (with) the injury appearing to be a fracture to the skull. Both defendants have been charged with murder.”
Judge Peter Blair adjourned the case for a pre-trial preparation hearing at the same court on April 5.
After the pair were charged, Senior Investigating Officer DI Mark Newbury said: “This is a particularly tragic case in which a very young baby has died, and our thoughts are with Brendon’s loved ones during this time.
“We have been carrying out enquiries at the hospital this week, and we’re grateful to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and their staff for their assistance in enabling us to do this.”