See What This Dad’s Alleged Nasty Temper Cost Him
A dad, Adam Stokes, 33, killed his nine-week-old baby daughter after losing his temper and shaking her so vigorously she suffered devastating brain injuries.
According to Mirror UK, the baby girl, Scarlett Stokes-Craig, suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital, on January 14 2013. She was treated at Luton and Dunstable Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital but she never regained consciousness and her life support machine was turned off ten days later.
Stokes claimed Scarlett collapsed without warning while he was feeding and winding her, but a jury at Luton Crown Court refused to believe him and instead convicted him of manslaughter.
Judge Maura McGowan, sitting at the Old Bailey, sentenced Stokes to seven years imprisonment.
She said: “Something happened which caused you to treat her with an unacceptable level of force. Most likely you shook her having lost your temper for some reason. I entirely accept it was unplanned and the terrible consequences were totally unintended. But you were not at the end of your tether, as sometimes happens in these cases. Scarlett was a good and placid baby who almost always slept through the night. Whatever you did caused the death of Scarlett, and you will have to live with the fact you killed your daughter for the rest of your life.”
The judge accepted Stokes was normally a “good father” and said the incident would have lasted a “matter of moments”.
“It was brief and unplanned and I have no doubt at all you did not intend to cause her serious harm. She was vulnerable, only nine weeks old, and trusted to your care. She was your daughter and your duty was to protect and cherish her – in these few brief moments you failed,” the judge added.
Stokes, giving evidence during his trial, said he got up just before 7am to feed his daughter, taking her out of the moses basket and putting her over his lap.
Stokes likened his daughter to a ‘rag doll’ when she collapsed, and called the emergency services when he realised she had stopped breathing.
He was told how to administer CPR by 999 operators, and was still trying to revive his daughter when paramedics arrived.
Stokes failed to reveal that he had shaken Scarlett and denied manslaughter, which the judge said “does you no credit”.
The court also heard Scarlett had suffered a serious medical condition when she was born, and the day before the attack by Stokes she had stopped breathing after a bout of vomiting.
Stokes showed no emotion as he was jailed, as his family looking on from the public gallery.
That’s the end result of uncontrolled temper.
People need to put their temper in check to avoid incidents they will later regret or will land them in jail. See how this one has killed his own baby now.
I said it anger makes us do what we don’t wanna do so see this
Why won’t he do that when he didn’t enter labour room to give birth to the baby… Selfish man
I think he’s under some kind of influence cos no sane person can do this.
What type of anger is dat one?Mad man
What is the world turning to? Every day u see a tale abt what one stupid parent did to a child he was supposed to protect. Imagine a 9weeks old baby that was still fragile? I think that sentence was way too mild for his crime
This man don’t just have anger product, he is sick!
What sorts of anger can make one do these to a baby? He’s nt well I can bet dat
oooh my.. i hvc been away,i missed a lot ooo.
That man is crazy
so sad..he’s a coward for allowing anger 2 control him.
Anger is so dangerous and I wish we humans can learn to control it. However what’s surprising is what an infant like that would have done to make him angry that much that resulted in her death
hmm. God have mercy.
He needs anger management therapy while he is away in prison.
Serves him right. Nonsense man
Temper temper temper see what it has cause
I was moved to tears after reading dis especially wen d judge said she was vulnerable and trusted to ur care may d beast rot in jail
This is heartbreaking