Parents of baby boy ‘shaken to death’ spared prosecution because officers didn’t know who caused injuries
- Suffered brain injuries after being 'deliberately shaken' at just eight weeks
- Was at his parents' house in Bridgend, Wales, when he died in 2008
- Coroner recorded a verdict of 'unlawful killing' and praised his carers
|
Arron Hatter (pictured) and Gemma Bayliss have never been charged in connection to the brain damage suffered by their son Ieuan in 2008
The parents of a boy who died from brain injuries he suffered in their care have never been charged - after police found it 'impossible' to identify a specific culprit.
Ieuan Hatter was left brain damaged at just eight weeks old while at the Bridgend home of his father Arron Hatter, 32, and his 31-year-old mother Gemma Bayliss.
Health officials called in police after he was rushed to St David’s Hospital in Cardiff suffering from seizures and breathing difficulty in 2008.
The pair were arrested on suspicion of harming their child, but both were later freed because officers did not have sufficient evidence to charge either parent.
Ieuan died on January 23 after five years in the care of guardians.
At an inquest into the child's death in Wales on Wednesday, Assistant Coroner Christopher John Woolley recorded a verdict of unlawful killing - and revealed no one had stood trial for his death.
He told the hearing: 'I can be sure that someone shook Ieuan to death.'
Mr Woolley ruled out a fall for the injuries suffered, adding: 'There was no external evidence of bruising or fracture and it would not have come from a fall.
'The actions that caused the injuries would have obviously been abuse to any casual observer and to anyone witness to it.
'I’m sure there was a deliberate act here. This action caused the injury and I’m satisfied the act was dangerous.'
Tragic: Ieuan Hatter died in January, five years after he suffered serious brain injuries while in his parents' care
The inquest at Cardiff and Vale Coroner’s Court also heard that there was a clear link between the injuries Ieuan sustained in 2008 and his death earlier this year.
The subsequent police investigation launched after he was injured found insufficient evidence to prosecute Ieuan’s parents.
Detective Inspector Kath Prichard from South Wales Police told the inquest that the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case in October, 2008.
She said: 'It was impossible to say who had caused his injuries and impossible to say if the pair had worked together to cause the injuries.'
Paul Davis, consultant paediatrician at St David’s Hospital in Cardiff, who examined Ieuan after the incident, also gave evidence at the inquest.
No action: Police reviewed the investigation into Ieuan's injuries following his death in January, but decided there was still insufficient evidence to prosecute either Arron Hatter (pictured) or Gemma Bayliss
He explained: 'When Ieuan was admitted to hospital he was very unwell, he was having seizures and breathing difficulties.
'It was clear he had received severe brain injuries and would have a severe long-term illness.'
Mr Wooley went on to heap praise on Ieuan's guardians Tracey Sims and Cathryn Hole, who provided 24 hour care throughout the remainder of his short life.
He added: 'The care they gave him improved his short life immeasurably. Without that care his life would not have been as happy as it was.'
Inquest: Assistant Coroner Christopher John Woolley recorded a verdict of unlawful killing Cardiff and Vale Coroner's Court
Ieuan passed away at the Ty Hafan Hospice in Sully after his condition deteriorated.
South Wales Police reviewed the previous police investigation after Ieuan's death but again found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.
The inquest heard there is currently no active investigation into Ieuan’s death.
No comments:
Post a Comment