Evil dad who ‘shook and bashed’ six-month-old son to death in savage attack weeps as he’s jailed for 15 years
A MONSTER dad who “shook and bashed” his six-month-old son to death in a brutal attack wept as he was jailed today.
Kairo Hollick died in his mum’s arms after being found “floppy and not breathing” at home in Walsall, West Midlands.
The tragic tot had suffered a catastrophic brain injury caused by two skull fractures.
His dad David Hollick, 29, has now been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of manslaughter.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Dove KC said: “It is hard to think of a more grotesque breach of trust between a parent and their child, when the parent assaults and kills their own child.”
Birmingham Crown Court heard how the brute had been looking after Kairo in February 2020 after the baby’s mum dropped him off.
He later messaged her asking her to pick up the phone, saying: “It’s about Kai”.
Hollick spun a web of lies to cover his tracks following the horror.
He claimed he was holding Kairo in his arms when he fell and that he had only shaken his son in a failed bid to revive him.
But medics at Birmingham Children’s Hospital found he had suffered devastating injuries, including bleeding on the brain, fractures to his skull and bruising to his head and body.
His injuries were compared to a fall from a height or a car crash by experts during the trial.
Tragically, the baby could not be saved and died after his life support system was switched off.
Prosecutor David Mason KC told the court Kairo “had not only been shaken violently, but his head had been bashed at least twice” with a hard object by Hollick.
His head injuries showed he had been hit against a “hard, unyielding surface”, Mr Mason added.
After the verdict, Georgina Davies of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This was an abuse of trust by a father who was supposed to love and care for his child. Kairo was just six-months-old when he died; he could not even walk or talk yet he had been subjected to abuse at the hands of his own father.
“The jury held him accountable for his actions. I hope the outcome of the case will bring justice to Kairo’s mother and family whose lives have changed forever with the loss of Kairo.”
Kairo's devastated mum pays tribute
“It has been four years since we lost Kairo and our hearts are still as broken as the day he was so cruelly taken from us. He deserved to be safe in the care of his father and he deserved to still be here today. We are devastated to learn of the sheer brutality inflicted on Kairo and it will haunt our family for the rest of our days. Kai was the light of our lives and the embodiment of innocence and without him we are broken.
“We hope now after all of this time that he can finally rest. We will grieve him forever.
“We would like to send thanks to medical staff at both Walsall Manor Hospital and Birmingham Children’s ICU for caring for Kairo with such dignity and respect in his final days.
“My family and I would also like to thank DC Donna Kenny, our family liaison officer and the entire investigation team for the hard work, constant support and guidance over the past four years. We would also like to thank both prosecuting barristers. They have all helped us find some closure in what has been the most tragic of circumstances that any family could imagine.”