Man Jailed For Manslaughter of Baby Son At Stourport

Jonathon James who was today jailed for five years for manslaughterA Stourport man has been jailed for five years for killing his baby son.

Jonathon Daniel James is believed to have lost his temper with five-month-old Theo Davies and either shaken him, or thrown him on to a bed or sofa.

James, aged 25, of Humphrey Avenue, Bromsgrove, denied manslaughter but was found guilty after a three-week trial at Worcester Crown Court. He was sentenced by the judge, His Honour Mr Justice Butterfield today, Thursday 15 December.

On the morning of 24 August, 2009, James had been left alone briefly with the baby at their flat in Old Ford Walk, Walshes estate, while the child's mother popped to the shops.

He called an ambulance saying Theo had been sick and was having a fit. Paramedics found the baby was not breathing and he was taken to hospital but was brain dead.

Subsequent investigations revealed he had non-accidental head injuries. He was taken off life support and died on 26 August.

Detective Inspector Dean Jones of West Mercia Police said after sentencing: "This was a sad case and our thoughts are with Theo's mother and both families who have lost a son, grandson and nephew in tragic circumstances.

Following a lengthy trial James has been found guilty of manslaughter and we are pleased that justice has been done.

"Hopefully Theo's family can now put him to rest and move on with their lives."

Theo's mother, Leanne Davies, said in a statement today: "Theo, my first and only child, was a gorgeous, hazel-eyed boy who was perfectly healthy when he was born and was always happy and smiling. As a mother you always remember those milestone moments as a baby grows and he was just cutting his first teeth when his life was tragically ended.

Baby Theo Davies who was just five-months-old when he died"Jonathon James took away the most precious thing in my life and destroyed my world in the 15 minutes it took me to pop out to the shops to buy a pint of milk. I can never forgive him for that.

"Theo's death has had a devastating effect on me and my family and you just don't expect this sort of thing to happen to you.

"It's been a shattering experience and I've had to go through the hell of having fingers pointed at me by people before learning from the police nearly ten months later that my boyfriend, the father of my baby, was responsible for his death.

"I never thought he was capable of doing something like that and as far as I am concerned he got what was coming to him and deserves to be in prison.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the police who carried out a thorough investigation and have provided me with support to get through this - they have all been brilliant.

"It plays on my mind that I still don't know exactly what happened to Theo - his father never spoke about what happened that day. At least now this case is over it means I can finally put Theo to rest and move on, which is what I have been waiting to do for the last two years."

Issued: Thursday, 15 December 2011