Father accused of murdering baby 'shouted and got angry' at infant, court told

A father who is accused of murdering his premature baby would shout and get angry at the infant, his aunt has told a jury.

Brendon Staddon suffered "catastrophic injuries" to his head, neck, legs and jaw, while in the special care baby unit 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's death.

Louise Besica, Gunter's aunt, told the jury at Bristol Crown Court about what she witnessed on two visits to see her great-nephew in hospital.

He had been born on February 20, and Ms Besica first visited two days later and again on February 24.

On the first occasion Gunter had become angry after being told by a nurse he could not pick up his son to change him for 20 minutes because he had just been fed through his nasogastric tube, she said.

"His words were, 'It's not up to the nurses to tell me what to do'," she told the court.

"He did wait because I was timing it and told him when it was up, but he wasn't happy.

"He went red in the face and his voice had gone higher. He was saying he was his baby and he should be allowed to change him."

Describing his voice, she said: "It was quite a high tone and not a nice tone. It was loud, a bit of anger.

"He was walking around a lot and huffing and puffing."

"He said Brendon had a dirty nappy and he needed changing and he would get a rash and become sore," she said.

She also said Gunter was "a bit rough" in his handling of Brendon and this caused him to cry.

"He said he was getting frustrated and I ended up cuddling Brendon in my arms and passing him back to Daniel. Brendon started crying again," she said.

The court heard while this was happening Staddon was "sat in a chair in the corner".

"It was like she wasn't interested or really bothered," she said.

Ms Besica said Staddon was quieter in Gunter's company and would let him speak for her.

"She was quite chatty with me and Daniel came back with the drinks and Sophie did go very quiet," she said.

Asked about any changes in Staddon's demeanour when Gunter was present, she replied: "Yes, when she was with me, she was more chattier, and more happy.

"When Daniel was there she was more quiet and it was more Daniel doing the talking.

"He spoke for her sometimes, I noticed."

She also described witnessing Gunter ordering food for Staddon.

"That made me feel like that she wasn't able to speak for herself, like he had taken over, like he controlled things," she said.

On a second visit to the hospital, she heard Gunter get angry Brendon urinated on him as he changed his nappy.

"He wasn't in a good mood. The tone of his voice changed, it was higher rather than soft," she said.

"He said, 'For God's sake'. He said it in a quite shouty, really quite loud, and I asked to take over.

"I felt like he had no patience. He was really rough with him with how he was putting him in his babygrow."

Asked about the relationship between Staddon and Brendon, she replied: "I didn't see any connection at all, I didn't see a mummy bond, nothing like that."

The court heard Ms Besica went to the hospital two days before Brendon died to drop off some formula for him and spoke with a nurse on the ward about her concerns.

Charles Row KC, prosecuting, asked: "You asked the nurse to keep an eye on them?"

She replied: "Yes, that is true."

Mr Row asked: "That she reassured you that she would pass it on and you felt reassured?"

She replied: "Yes, that's fair."

Mr Row asked: "She said she would tell the staff and not tell Daniel Gunter that you had made those observations?"

She replied: "Yes."

A post-mortem examination found Brendon died of "blunt force impact(s) head injury" with multiple non-accidental injuries to the head.

Gunter and Staddon, both of no fixed address, deny charges of murder and causing or allowing Brendon's death.

The trial continues.