‘Monster’, 22, killed baby girl and caused her to suffer injuries similar to a car crash before trying to frame her mum
A “MONSTER” killed a baby girl and caused her to suffer horror injuries similar to a car crash before trying to pin it on her mum.
Brandon Heath, 22, repeatedly lied to cops after paramedics found the 22-month-old tot struggling to breathe and with abnormal swelling to the head.
Chester Crown Court heard how on August 30, 2020, Heath – described by police as “remorseless” and “arrogant” – called for an ambulance after finding the girl “collapsed” on the floor, having just got her out of her high chair.
Heath, the only adult present at the address, told paramedics she had fallen out of a bed and must have hit her head after they found her in the first-floor bedroom.
He explained that as she had become sleepy, he had brought her upstairs and left her in the bedroom for a moment – but returned to find her struggling to breathe.
But because of her shocking injuries, police were called and spoke with both Heath and the child’s mother, who had returned from dropping off a friend at work.
Heath then told officers a different version of events about the moments following the girl’s death, saying he’d taken the child out of her highchair as she was “whingy”.
He had then left her to play and when he returned, he saw her lying on the floor.
Most read in The Sun
Initial observations from an air ambulance doctor suggested that the child had sustained a severe brain injury and as a result, she was taken to Alder Hey Hospital.
The little girl underwent emergency neurosurgery but despite best efforts, her condition deteriorated.
On 31 August 2020, life support was withdrawn, and the tot sadly passed away.
A post-mortem examination revealed that she had sustained a catastrophic brain injury as well as suffering bleeding within and around her eyes, bruising to the body, along with rib fractures and damage to nerves in the neck.
Experts determined that she had suffered a significant traumatic head injury which, in their opinion, could not have been caused by accident.
And on July 21, last year, Heath was arrested and subsequently charged with murder.
During the course of him giving his evidence, Heath was unable to account for a 12 or 13 minute passage of time after he had been left alone with the girl and her older brother.
Police said he even tried to “conceal his involvement” by attempting to frame the tot’s mum.
Detective Inspector Adam Waller, who led the investigation, said: “This case is indescribably tragic and due to the complicated medical evidence, the family have had to wait many, many months for justice and I’d like to pay testament to their patience.
‘TOTAL LACK OF COMPASSION’
“Heath had already been interviewed by police both before and immediately after the child’s death and was further interviewed in July 2021 under caution – officers put to him the various inconsistencies in what he had claimed from 30 August 2020 onward.
“Yet he told police that he couldn’t recall what he had allegedly said and continued to deny causing injury or harm to the girl.
“The medical evidence clearly pointed towards a sudden catastrophic assault on the little girl and although Heath was alone with her at the time, in order to conceal his involvement, he lied about the circumstances.
“He was unable to think on his feet and come up with a plausible or consistent account which was ultimately his undoing.
“The level of injury caused to the child was described by one of the pathology experts as being akin to a road traffic collision or multi-storey fall.
“The fact that he blamed the mother of the child who wasn’t even present at the time just demonstrates the total lack of compassion and cowardice in not taking responsibility for his actions against a defenceless little girl.
“He has shown an arrogance and a total lack of remorse throughout this case including while in court.”
A jury found Heath guilty of manslaughter following a three-week trial and he had now been jailed for 13 years and six months.
In a tribute, the little girl’s mother said: “She was always so happy and full of life, the happiest cheekiest little girl you had ever seen.
“Her smile lit up the whole room. Her personality was so big, my heart aches every day.
“I thank Adam Waller and the team for bringing the truth to light and bringing that monster to justice.”