Cruel couple kept Stanley’s injuries a secret
surnames, had a fractious relationship with the police being called to the property on March 11 by neighbours who reported shouting coming from the one-bedroom flat they shared in Gosport.
Both defendants tested positive for cocaine and cannabis after being arrested following Stanley’s hospitalisation.
The first sign that Stanley had suffered any harm came when a health visitor found a bruise behind his right ear on March 16. The couple had tried to conceal this, which was later misdiagnosed by a paediatrician as a birthmark.
James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, said: “They were very clearly warned about the risk of harm to the baby by the police and the social worker when they warned them they couldn’t behave in an argumentative or volatile way.”
Katie Thorne QC, defending Roxanne Davis, said she suffered from depression and added: “Miss Davis’s case has always been that she didn’t cause the injuries. Miss Davis did accept her strong feelings of guilt in failing to protect Stanley.”
Sally Howes QC, defending Samuel Davies, who was not the biological father, said he had “a great sadness and a great feeling of guilt”. She added: “He is clearly a very immature man and his diagnoses of ADHD and emotionally unstable personality disorder are recent.”
Derek Benson, chairman of the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board, said a review is being carried out of the handling of the child’s care by the authorities. ROXANNE Davis and Samuel Davies knew Baby Stanley had suffered serious injuries – but didn’t tell medical staff.
Carl Anderson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Davis and Davies gave medical staff the impression there were no problems with Stanley and only reported difficulties in getting him to take his milk.
“The reality was quite different. Both knew Stanley had already suffered serious injuries but neither said anything, leaving Stanley without the medical attention he desperately needed.
“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. 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 suffered. But instead of doing something to prevent anything further happening to him, they did nothing.”
Detective Chief Inspector Fiona Bitters added: “No child should have to suffer in the way that Stanley did.”