Man ‘browsed Facebook and looked at holidays’ after violently shaking baby | UK | News
Kieran Humphreys jailed (Image: PA)
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly “violently shaking” a six-month-old baby and lying to cover it up. Bedfordshire Police said Kieran Humphreys, 33, of Bromley Gardens, Houghton Regis, shook the baby and seriously injured him when he looked at Archie Woodbridge on February 9, 2024. He was jailed at Luton Crown Court on Wednesday with a minimum sentence of 21 years in prison.
Humphreys, who was looking after the baby at the home of friends Sam Wyatt, 33, and Karen Smith, 39, in Dolphin Drive, Houghton Regis, did not call emergency services after the incident and instead called her mother, Sharon Humphreys, 58. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he also “spended time online browsing Facebook, buying clothes and looking at holidays” and paramedics were called just 90 minutes after Archie was injured.
Read more: Russian man guilty of beating girlfriend while FaceTime with Barron Trump
Read more: BA pilot ‘told stewardess to blindfold him and filmed himself spanking her’
Emergency services notified Bedfordshire Police just before 5.30pm and the baby was taken to hospital but died later in the evening.
The court heard Humphreys had met and befriended the child’s mother, Saskia Woodbridge, just a week earlier, and in his sentencing speech, judge Mr Justice Morris said he “showed interest in them and made her believe he would look after her child”.
Mr Justice Morris also said that at the time of the offense Humphreys was on bail on an unrelated plea, including a condition of “not having unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 16”.
CPS said Humphreys lied to paramedics, claiming Archie was with his mother when he became ill and insisting she was not there.
Police said he repeated this statement to police and the lies were supported by his mother, Ms Smith and Mr Wyatt, who also gave false statements.
Shan Saunders, of the CPS, said: “This is a heartbreaking case. Despite convincing Archie’s mother that he cared for his young son, Kieran Humphreys violently cut his life short.
“After presenting expert evidence showing that Archie’s injuries were not an accident but were most likely caused by Humphreys grasping him tightly and shaking him violently, the jury found him guilty of murder.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and advertising from us and our partners. You can check out whenever you want. Read our Privacy Policy
“Humphreys will now remain in prison for a long time but nothing can compensate for the loss of Archie and our thoughts remain with his mother and family.”
The CPS said Humphreys was also found guilty of cruelty to children for his delay in seeking medical attention for Archie and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
His mother, Wyatt, and Smith admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Sharon Humphreys was sentenced to nine months in prison, Wyatt to 15 months and Smith to one year.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “Our thoughts are with Archie’s family at this time.
“This was a truly shocking and senseless act of violence against a defenseless baby.
“Humphreys’ actions and the subsequent lies told by those involved were extremely callous and have added to the family’s pain.
“Cases like this remind us all of the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society.”
