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A father who killed his young son after admitting he lost his temper and self-control has been jailed for nine years.
Two-month-old Cody, described as “healthy and happy,” died in hospital two days after paramedics were called to his home near Bamford, Derbyshire, in June last year.
A court was informed that her mother was visiting a nearby post office with her father during the attack.
Anton Shields, 39, of Hardwick Crescent, Athersley South, Barnsley, pleaded guilty last week to the murder of his son and was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Tuesday.
In opening the case against him, prosecutors said Cody suffered a “devastating” head injury while in the sole care of his father.
Cody died in the hospital two days after paramedics were called to his home. Photo: Google Maps
Jonas Hankin QC told the court: “The case for the prosecution is that, unable to resolve it, the defendant became frustrated with Cody and assaulted him, causing fatal head injuries.”
Offering mitigation, defense quality control Nicholas Clarke said Shields, who has suffered from anxiety and depression, viewed the offense as “inexplicable” but admitted he had lost his temper and self-control.
Clarke told the court: “During those vital and tragic seconds he behaved in the manner described by the prosecution.”
The court was told that Shields had initially claimed that her son had suffered a “spontaneous collapse” while feeding and later said she had found him struggling to breathe after briefly leaving him alone.
Upon sentencing, the judge told Shields that none of the accounts were true.
In the ruling Cody was subjected to violent tremors and a significant impact on a “semi-yielding” surface, the judge said: “You, Anton Shields, did violence that killed him, when he was alone in your care for a brief period.
“He was restless and did not eat properly, probably in response to his shots that morning.”
Although the judge accepted that Shields did not intend to kill or cause serious harm, he told her, “You did something terribly dangerous that had dire consequences.”
Before lifting an information restriction that prevented the media from naming Cody, the judge said it was clear that his mother and other family members “are still haunted” by his loss.
“The court can only wish her and her family the best and hope that her pain will ease,” the judge continued.
“In his words, losing Cody shattered his life and devastated his entire family.
“He didn’t have the courage to admit what happened until the day before he was due to be tried.
“He has never given an open and honest account, as he sought to avoid responsibility for Cody’s death which is his and his alone.”
