Daniel Gunter showed no remorse after inflicting fatal injuries on his two-week-old son in the hospital

A father has been convicted of murdering his premature newborn son inside a Somerset hospital’s special care baby unit, in a case that police described as one of the most harrowing in their careers.

Daniel Gunter, 27, was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court of the brutal murder of his two-week-old son, Brendon Staddon. The child, born at 33 weeks, sustained catastrophic injuries while being treated in the neonatal ward of Yeovil District Hospital on 5 March 2024. These included a fractured skull, broken neck, jaw, ribs, and both legs—injuries consistent with violent shaking and impact trauma.

During the emotionally charged courtroom proceedings, a visibly distressed juror wiped away tears as the guilty verdict was read. Gunter showed no emotion. Brendon’s mother, Sophie Staddon, was acquitted of the lesser charge of causing or allowing the death of a child. She wept as the judge told her she was free to go.

The baby’s grandfather, Simon Gunter, paid a heartbreaking tribute outside court: “Brendon was so tiny, but so beautiful. We had already bought toys and clothes, excited for his life ahead. Now, we have nothing but memories we’ll never get to make.”

Throughout the trial, hospital staff described their escalating concerns about Gunter’s disturbing behaviour. Nurses testified that he ignored safety advice, roughly handled Brendon, removed his feeding tube, overstimulated him, and took him out of the incubator without permission. One expert told the court Brendon’s injuries matched those of an infant whose head was swung against a hard surface while being held by the ankles—on more than one occasion.

Chief Inspector Nadine Partridge, from Avon and Somerset Police, called the case “evil” and said viewing Brendon’s post-mortem photographs was the most distressing moment of her 22-year policing career. “There wasn’t any part of his body that wasn’t harmed,” she said.

The court heard chilling details of the parents’ behaviour leading up to Brendon’s death. On 29 February, they left the infant in the hospital and failed to return for nearly four days. In the early hours of 5 March, Sophie Staddon told staff she had found Brendon cold. Doctors estimated he had been dead for at least 30 minutes before the alarm was raised. As medics desperately attempted resuscitation, Gunter and Staddon went outside for a cigarette.

Neither parent gave evidence during the trial. Chief Insp Partridge noted that Gunter was more concerned about his phone and vape being seized during arrest than the fate of his son. “He’s never shown a shred of remorse,” she said. “Brendon was failed in life—justice is the only thing we can offer him now.”

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said the ordeal had been “incredibly distressing” for staff, many of whom gave evidence in court. The Trust confirmed it is participating in a Child Safeguarding Practice Review, due to be published in autumn 2025.

Daniel Gunter will be sentenced on 3 October. Brendon’s family, devastated by his murder, now face a lifetime of grief for a boy whose life had barely begun.