Latest news with #prematurebaby
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Yeovil parents accused of murdering baby son deny harming him
Parents accused of murdering their premature baby in a special care hospital unit told police they did not harm him, a court has Staddon suffered injuries to his jaw, head, neck and legs at Yeovil District Hospital, Somerset, on 5 March Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 23, are on trial at Bristol Crown Court accused of his murder, and causing or allowing the two-week-old boy's pair, of no fixed address, deny the charges against them. The jury heard how nurses discovered Brendon's injuries - described as "catastrophic" by the prosecution - after Ms Staddon told hospital staff her son was cold, and asked them to check on who was born at 33 weeks, weighing 1.83kg at birth (4lb), did not respond to treatment and was pronounced dead at 04:59 Wednesday, jurors were read transcripts of Mr Gunter and Ms Staddon's police interviews after they were Staddon said: "I went to check him. I felt him. He was cold. I told the nurses. They turned the light on and saw he was blue."I started crying. Dan pulled me away and said 'let them do their job'. I was crying and really upset. Dan was also upset."Doctors and nurses came in and surrounded Brendon."The couple were arrested after going outside to get some fresh air. 'He was my world' "I remember asking if they were telling me my baby was dead," said Ms Staddon."I had done nothing to harm Brendon at all. I love him. He was my everything. I would not have harmed him."After his arrest, Mr Gunter was recorded as saying: "How can you say that we killed our baby?" and "That kid was my world, I would do anything for him."In a separate statement, he said: "I would never hurt my baby boy."A post-mortem examination found Brendon died of "blunt force impact(s)" from "non-accidental head injuries".The trial continues.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Parents told police they did not harm premature baby who died at neonatal unit
A mother and father accused of murdering their premature baby in a special care baby unit told police they did not harm him, a court heard. Brendon Staddon suffered injuries to his head, neck, legs and jaw while on the ward at the Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset on March 5 last year. His parents, Daniel Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 23, are both accused of murder and causing or allowing the two-week-old baby's death. Bristol Crown Court heard nurses discovered Brendon's injuries – described as 'catastrophic' by the prosecution – after Staddon told nurses her son was cold and asked them to check on him. The baby, who was born at 33 weeks' gestation and weighed 1.83kg at birth, was carried to the resuscitation area but did not respond to treatment and was pronounced dead at 4.59am. On Wednesday, jurors at Bristol Crown Court were read transcripts of interviews Staddon and Gunter had with police after their arrest. Staddon told police she had been woken in the night by Gunter telling her to inform nurses that Brendon was cold. She said: 'I went to check him. I felt him. He was cold. I told the nurses. They turned the light on and saw he was blue. 'I started crying. Dan pulled me away and said 'let them do their job'. I was crying and really upset. Dan was also upset. 'Doctors and nurses came in and surrounded Brendon.' Staddon said the couple initially waited inside before going out for some fresh air, with police officers arresting them a short time later. 'I remember asking if they were telling me my baby was dead,' she said in interview. 'I had done nothing to harm Brendon at all. I love him. He was my everything. I would not have harmed him.' After his arrest, Gunter was recorded as saying: 'How can you say that we killed our baby?' and 'That kid was my world, I would do anything for him'. In a statement provided to police at interview, Gunter described how Staddon had been sleeping in a bed while he was in a chair, with Brendon's cot behind a screen. He told how he heard the baby do a 'little cry' at about 3am and checked on him. 'He was in his cot, on his back,' Gunter said. 'He was white. We touched his skin and he was cold and white. 'We didn't lift him out of the cot. We went to get the nurse. They came in and said he was not alright. 'This was the last time I saw my baby.' He added: 'At no stage did I do anything to Brendon that could have caused him any injury. 'I was with Sophie the whole time and she didn't do anything either.' In a separate statement, Gunter said: 'I would never hurt my baby boy.' A post-mortem examination found Brendon died of 'blunt force impact(s) head injury' with multiple non-accidental injuries to the head. Earlier in the trial, Charles Row KC, prosecuting, told jurors that the baby was covered in bruises to his face, scalp, chest and abdomen, shoulder, hands, legs and feet. 'There was hardly a part of his body that was spared,' Mr Row said. The jury heard that Gunter and Staddon had an on-off relationship, with allegations that he was violent towards her on occasion. In January 2024, a social worker visited the couple and told them that authorities were planning to remove the baby from their care when he was born. Gunter and Staddon, both of no fixed address, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing Brendon's death. Their trial continues.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Baby dead for '30 mins before murder-accused parents raised alarm'
A premature baby found with injuries to his head and neck would have been dead for at least 30 minutes before his parents raised the alarm, a consultant neonatologist told a Staddon, who was born at 33 weeks, suffered multiple fractures while in Somerset's Yeovil District Hospital's special care baby unit in March 2024 at just two weeks Gunter and the baby's mother, Sophie Staddon, 23, both of no fixed address, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing the child's David Sweet, who reviewed baby Brendon's death, said that it usually takes 30 minutes for a newborn's heart to stop completely after being deprived of oxygen. A post-mortem concluded Brendon died of a "blunt force impact(s) head injury," with multiple "non-accidental injuries", the court was was later found to have, amongst other injuries, a broken neck, a broken jaw, broken legs, broken ankles and broken staff discovered his injuries when Ms Staddon asked them to check on him because "he was cold" at 4:00 GMT on 5 March, the jury was Sweet, who has 24 years' experience within the NHS, said that a baby can usually be resuscitated if they are discovered within five or 10 minutes after they stop breathing. "I would say (Brendan's) heart was completely stopped when nursing staff discovered him at 4am and I would suggest that it would have been a minimum of 25 to 30 minutes after the injuries occurred," he being seven weeks premature, Brendan was doing well and would have been expected to go on to have a normal life, Dr Sweet court previously heard that while in hospital, Mr Gunter repeatedly ignored the advice of nurses and removed him from his incubator. He also allegedly overstimulated him to the point of causing him distress and removed his nasal gastric tube, and reportedly shouted at him and became frustrated with him when changing his nappy."The usual desire when babies are born prematurely is to let them rest and disturb them as little as possible, usually the lights are kept low and the noise level is kept down and too much stimulation can be distressing," Dr Sweet said the nature of Brendon's limb fractures were consistent with "excessive pulling and twisting beyond what would be considered acceptable handling of an infant".The trial continues.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Premature baby's care at Leeds hospital 'unacceptable'
The parents of a premature baby boy who died just hours after his birth have described the care he received in hospital as "unacceptable".Benjamin Arnold developed breathing difficulties shortly after being born just over five weeks before his due date at St James's Hospital in Leeds in "missed" opportunities to diagnose a pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung, and had this been treated he would likely have survived, area coroner Oliver Longstaff said at an Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), which runs the hospital, said it was "extremely sorry that Benjamin died whilst in our care". 'Missed opportunity' Mr Longstaff's narrative conclusion, following the inquest into Benjamin's death at Wakefield Coroner's Court last week, said the baby had "collapsed" during a procedure to help his underdeveloped lungs to breathe three hours after his to resuscitate him were ultimately unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead less than eight hours after he was Longstaff said there was a "missed opportunity to consider the possibility" of a pneumothorax early on in the process, because procedure policy "did not mandate a chest X-ray", which he said would probably have revealed it.A further opportunity was also missed when the medic performing the procedure did not discuss it with the neonatal consultant involved, the coroner added. The consultant would likely have asked if a pneumothorax had been ruled out as a cause of Benjamin's condition, the conclusion Longstaff said: "No thought was given to the pneumothorax being a potential, and potentially reversible, cause of the collapse."If they had been treated he would have, on the balance of probabilities, survived."The coroner said he was preparing a prevention of future deaths report, which would examine what lessons could be learned from the case and that would be published in due course. 'Important changes' In a statement to the BBC, Benjamin's parents said: "We are devastated by Benjamin's death."The standard of care he received was unacceptable."We urge Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust to take the prevention of future deaths report seriously."We ask the government to urgently provide the funding for the new hospital building in Leeds. "This would allow all maternity and neonatal care to be provided from a single site and improve patient safety. This cannot wait any longer."In January, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the planned redevelopment of Leeds General Infirmary would not begin before 2030. At the time Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said he was "extremely disappointed" by the the inquest, Dr Magnus Harrison, LTHT's medical director, said: "I am extremely sorry Benjamin died whilst in our care and I cannot imagine how difficult the last three years have been for his family."I want to reassure everyone that we have already made important changes to improve our neonatal service."These include changes to our policies to have a consultant neonatologist available on each hospital site and involving them earlier in the delivery of complex clinical procedures."While we recognise these do not undo the loss of Benjamin, we will continue to review our service and make improvements so we can deliver the best possible care for our babies and their families." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
