Dad from Walsall found guilty of baby's manslaughter
His 6 month old son died from a non-survivable brain injury.
Last updated 19th Feb 2024
The father of a six-month-old baby who suffered a non-survivable brain injury has been convicted of manslaughter.
Kairo Hollick died on 12 February 2020 after suffering from a traumatic brain injury and skull fractures. Expert evidence presented at trial demonstrated that his father violently shook him and hit his head against a hard surface. Kairo also suffered a fracture to his right forearm.
David Hollick, 29 of Walsall, denied causing catastrophic injuries to Kairo and gave no plausible reasons as to how his son suffered the injuries.
The court heard that Kairo was in his father’s care for the weekend having been dropped off by his mother on 7 February 2020 as part of their usual custody arrangements.
However, two days later, Kairo was rushed to hospital in a floppy and unresponsive state. Tests revealed he had suffered devastating injuries including bleeding on the brain, fractures to his skull and bruising to his head and body.
When doctors who treated him asked David Hollick what happened, he lied and claimed Kairo had suddenly stopped breathing and that he had shaken him to wake him up.
However, his explanation was not consistent with Kairo's injuries, which experts said were comparable to those sustained during a fall from a height, or a car crash.
Despite the best efforts of doctors at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, it was impossible to save Kairo as his injuries were too severe. Sadly, on 12 February 2020, Kairo’s life support system was turned off and he died in his mother’s arms.
Using witness testimony as well as phone and medical evidence, the CPS presented a compelling case that proved David Hollick was responsible for his son’s death.
The injuries inflicted on Kairo happened after he was last seen to be well while in his father’s care on 9 February 2020 by members of David Hollick’s family.
According to medical experts, Kairo had suffered a significant shaking injury that was recognisably excessive and outside the realms of normal handling. He had also suffered bleeding to both sides of the brain and at different levels within the brain and the spine and as well as two separate impact injuries against a hard-unyielding surface that were inflicted and not accidental.
The evidence proved that Hollick had shaken and battered Kairo’s head, which caused him to lose consciousness and die and his actions proved that he intended to cause serious harm to his son. Kairo also had complex skull fractures that occurred between three to six days prior to his death which had been caused by direct blunt force trauma.
Georgina Davies of the CPS said: “This was an abuse of trust by a father who was supposed to love and care for his child. Kairo was just six-months-old when he died; he could not even walk or talk yet he had been subjected to unimaginable abuse at the hands of his own father.
"David Hollick lied repeatedly and maintained his fictitious account even while testifying under oath in court. Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies and held him accountable for his actions. I hope the outcome of the case will bring justice to Kairo’s mother and family whose lives have changed forever with the loss of Kairo.”