Murderer whose baby daughter died with over 40 rib fractures jailed for life

A father who murdered his five-week-old daughter by causing her a brain injury and more than 40 rib fractures in repeated assaults when he lost his temper has been jailed for life.

Both of baby Darcy-Leigh Jefferson’s legs were also fractured in the 10 days before she died on March 29 2022, a seven-week trial at Stafford Crown Court heard.

Her father, 35-year-old Sean Jefferson, who was found guilty of murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, was handed a minimum term of 22 years on Thursday.

Darcy-Leigh’s cocaine-taking mother, Amy Clark, 34, was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of causing or allowing serious harm to a child after charges of murder and manslaughter against her were dropped by prosecutors during the trial.

Clark, who was cleared of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

A woman in the public gallery called Clark “scum” when her sentence was passed by the judge.

Sentencing Jefferson, of Birch Court, Walsall, judge Mrs Justice Brunner KC said: “The death of a young child is a terrible tragedy. Darcy-Leigh should have had a long life being loved by her family and friends.

“You have deprived her of her life and you have deprived others the pleasure of getting to know her and sharing their life.”

She added: “As her father, you had significant caring responsibilities and you were a person she was entitled to look to for love and protection.”

The judge said she was satisfied that Jefferson lost his temper when he inflicted the injuries on his baby.

The trial heard Darcy-Leigh, who was born five weeks premature on February 20 2022, had been “physically assaulted on a repeated basis” and had a total of 47 rib fractures when she died of a brain injury two days after being taken to hospital on March 27 that year.

When Darcy-Leigh was born by caesarean section just weeks before, she weighed about four pounds.

Prosecution counsel Harpreet Sandhu KC said the “catastrophic” injury to Darcy-Leigh’s head had been caused by her being shaken violently or having her head struck against a surface.

The court heard the fatal attack must have taken place between 7am and 7.18am on March 27 after Jefferson took Darcy-Leigh downstairs at their former home in Hudson Drive in Burntwood, Staffordshire.

Richard Atkins KC, defending Jefferson, said the murder was not premeditated, adding: “What happened would have happened through temper and frustration.”

During the trial, Mr Sandhu told the jury Clark was living at a “tidy and well-presented” home and gave the impression of being a mother who was in control while hiding the fact she took cocaine and drank a lot of alcohol.

In September 2021, while Clark, of Enots Close, Lichfield, was pregnant, Jefferson sent her a message threatening to “put you 6ft underground” if she killed her baby through drinking.

Jefferson was also a drug user, smoking cannabis in the garage during a “volatile” relationship said to be characterised by consistent arguments and aggression.

Defence counsel for Clark, Tom Walkling KC, said of the mother: “She’s herself a victim of Sean Jefferson’s offending. She is a mother whose baby was murdered by someone else.

“We say that’s significant personal mitigation and is reflected in her genuine grief following the loss of her baby and her genuine remorse for her failures to recognise and notice the risk that Darcy was in.”

Darcy-Leigh was seen by professionals many times, but they may have been unaware that she should have been registered on a child protection information sharing system.

The trial had been told Darcy-Leigh, who was subject to social services’ involvement, was not registered on the system due to an error.

Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Fitzgerald, of Staffordshire Police, said: “This was a sustained and merciless abuse of a defenceless baby by the very people who were meant to protect her.

“Darcy was violently assaulted again and again. Her father murdered her, her mother allowed the abuse to continue until it killed her. Their actions represent an appalling betrayal of parental responsibility.

“Jefferson will now spend a significant part of his life in prison but no sentence can ever reflect the cruelty inflicted on Darcy, or repair the devastation left behind.”