Father found guilty of murdering month-old son who suffered ‘snapped’ neck

22 Mar 2024 • 8:46 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

A father has been convicted of murdering his five-week-old baby, who died from a broken neck, having also suffered 23 broken ribs.

A jury at Leicester Crown Court was told Ollie Davis was pronounced dead after being found lifeless in his bedroom in 2017, having sustained fractures to his skull, collar bone, both arms and the joints of all his limbs.

Michael Davis, 29, was found guilty on Friday of murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm and was remanded in custody facing a mandatory life sentence.

Jurors cleared Ollie’s mother, Kayleigh Driver, of murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but found her guilty of charges of causing or allowing the death of a child and causing or allowing serious physical injury.

Trial judge Mr Justice Cotter renewed Driver’s conditional bail following the verdicts and ordered that the 29-year-old, who appeared in court on a mobility scooter, should be sentenced alongside Davis on April 10.

The two-month trial heard Ollie was found at his home in Temple Walk, Leicester, after his “neck was snapped between four and eight days prior to his death”.