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| Father jailed for baby's manslaughter | Father jailed for baby's manslaughter |
| (7 days later) | |
| A young father who killed his three-month-old son by shaking or throwing him has been jailed for three years and eight months. | A young father who killed his three-month-old son by shaking or throwing him has been jailed for three years and eight months. |
| Stephen Coukham, of Truro, Cornwall, lost his temper with the crying baby, Tyrone, after going to change him in the flat he shared with the child's mother, Kerry Marriott. | Stephen Coukham, of Truro, Cornwall, lost his temper with the crying baby, Tyrone, after going to change him in the flat he shared with the child's mother, Kerry Marriott. |
| Coukham, who was 18 at the time, initially claimed that the child slipped through his hands and that he threw him into the air to try to revive him after he stopped breathing. | Coukham, who was 18 at the time, initially claimed that the child slipped through his hands and that he threw him into the air to try to revive him after he stopped breathing. |
| He denied murder but admitted manslaughter. Jailing Coukham, now 21, Mrs Justice Sharp told him: "The precise sequence of events that led to Tyrone's death will never be known. But you lost your temper because he was crying or wouldn't stop crying. | He denied murder but admitted manslaughter. Jailing Coukham, now 21, Mrs Justice Sharp told him: "The precise sequence of events that led to Tyrone's death will never be known. But you lost your temper because he was crying or wouldn't stop crying. |
| "Then in a fit of temper you shook him hard, or threw him down on a soft surface, actions that were likely to cause him harm." | "Then in a fit of temper you shook him hard, or threw him down on a soft surface, actions that were likely to cause him harm." |
| The judge said she was confident that until the attack in July 2010 Coukham had been a caring parent, and that he had not intended to cause serious harm to his son. | The judge said she was confident that until the attack in July 2010 Coukham had been a caring parent, and that he had not intended to cause serious harm to his son. |
| "This crime is, in a real sense, a tragedy for all concerned. For Tyrone, whose life was cut short so young, for Kerry and Tyrone's wider family, but also for you because you will have to live with the knowledge of what you did for the rest of your life," she said. | "This crime is, in a real sense, a tragedy for all concerned. For Tyrone, whose life was cut short so young, for Kerry and Tyrone's wider family, but also for you because you will have to live with the knowledge of what you did for the rest of your life," she said. |
| Prosecuting, Martin Meeke QC described how two of Coukham's nextdoor neighbours were visiting the defendant, his partner and their son when Coukham took Tyrone into the bedroom to change him. | Prosecuting, Martin Meeke QC described how two of Coukham's nextdoor neighbours were visiting the defendant, his partner and their son when Coukham took Tyrone into the bedroom to change him. |
| Meeke said one of the friends, Jack Smith, could hear Tyrone crying as Coukham took the baby into the bedroom. Meeke told Truro crown court: "Jack Smith said he could hear Coukham comforting him [the baby]. Then Tyrone suddenly stopped crying and within two minutes Coukham came out, asking for Kerry and saying the baby had stopped breathing. | Meeke said one of the friends, Jack Smith, could hear Tyrone crying as Coukham took the baby into the bedroom. Meeke told Truro crown court: "Jack Smith said he could hear Coukham comforting him [the baby]. Then Tyrone suddenly stopped crying and within two minutes Coukham came out, asking for Kerry and saying the baby had stopped breathing. |
| "Kerry called the ambulance at 3.25pm; within five minutes the ambulance was at the flat." Tyrone was on the bed with no pulse. | "Kerry called the ambulance at 3.25pm; within five minutes the ambulance was at the flat." Tyrone was on the bed with no pulse. |
| The court heard that Coukham later gave differing accounts of what happened, claiming that he had picked his child up only for him to slip from his hands – at first saying this was into Tyrone's basket, and then later saying it was on to the bed. | The court heard that Coukham later gave differing accounts of what happened, claiming that he had picked his child up only for him to slip from his hands – at first saying this was into Tyrone's basket, and then later saying it was on to the bed. |
| He also gave conflicting accounts of when the baby had been sick, and said he had thrown Tyrone into the air and caught him in an attempt to revive him. | He also gave conflicting accounts of when the baby had been sick, and said he had thrown Tyrone into the air and caught him in an attempt to revive him. |
| A postmortem found that the baby suffered a "devastating, unsurvivable head injury". Experts suggested shaking was the most likely cause of death and said there were other internal injuries that may have been caused before the day Tyrone died. | A postmortem found that the baby suffered a "devastating, unsurvivable head injury". Experts suggested shaking was the most likely cause of death and said there were other internal injuries that may have been caused before the day Tyrone died. |
| A health worker who visited the family said she had witnessed Coukham "rough handling" the baby, pulling him up by his arms as a two-week-old. But GPs and health professionals said they had had no cause for concern over the baby's treatment. | A health worker who visited the family said she had witnessed Coukham "rough handling" the baby, pulling him up by his arms as a two-week-old. But GPs and health professionals said they had had no cause for concern over the baby's treatment. |
| Defending, Simon Laws QC said there was no intention to cause the baby serious harm. "This is not a case of an unwanted baby that was habitually neglected or deliberately maltreated. Far from it. [Coukham] had a genuinely close bond with his baby," he said. | Defending, Simon Laws QC said there was no intention to cause the baby serious harm. "This is not a case of an unwanted baby that was habitually neglected or deliberately maltreated. Far from it. [Coukham] had a genuinely close bond with his baby," he said. |
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