Colby Lawton death: Man sentenced for murdering baby son

A man has been given a life sentence for murdering his one-month-old baby son.

Colby Lawton was shaken violently by his father and went into cardiac arrest on 9 May last year in Ashridge Court in Newbury, Berkshire.

James Lawton, 28, of Boreham Field, Wiltshire, was found guilty of his murder at Reading Crown Court. He must serve a minimum term of 17 years.

Chantelle Stroud, the baby's mother, was cleared of wrongdoing.

Lawton was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm and sentenced to eight years to run concurrently, but was cleared of cruelty to a person under 16.

The court heard that Lawton shook his son so hard that he caused damage to his brain stem, resulting in immediate cardio respiratory arrest.

He suffered a catastrophic brain injury and died at Royal Berkshire Hospital about an hour and a half later.

Both parents had been drinking in the week leading up to the death, and rowing with each other and neighbours, the jury was told.

Three days before the killing Lawton is believed to have hit the baby's head against a hard surface, squeezed him hard enough to fracture his ribs, and pulled or twisted his legs.

Colby's body had 50 fractures and 77 marks and bruises.

In her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Stacey described Colby as an "absolute poppet" who was "vulnerable and helpless".

She said Lawton did not intend to kill the child but to cause him serious bodily harm.

She added: "I also accept that the assault was not premeditated - your anger goes from 0-100 in a second and erupts spontaneously.

"You were shocked when Colby collapsed and you saw what you had done."

Speaking after the verdict, Det Ch Insp Stuart Blaik of Thames Valley Police's major crime unit, said a "defenceless baby" received the "most terrible injuries at the hands of his father".

He added: "Lawton denied causing any harm to Colby but the jury have seen through his continued lies and found him guilty today of his murder.

"The sentence passed today truly reflects the utterly vile way that this defenceless child lost his life at the hands of James Lawton, his father who should have been his protector."

Ms Stroud, 25, of Ashridge Court, Newbury, was found not guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child, or of cruelty to a person under 16.

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