Dad who left baby son Ollie Davis with 40 bone fractures jailed for murder

ITV News Central Reporter Rajiv Popat reports from outside Loughborough Court

A father has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his five-week-old baby, who died from a broken neck.

Ollie Davis was found lifeless in his crib at home in Leicester in October 2017, with fractures to his skull, collar bone, both arms and the joints of all his limbs.

The judge, sitting at Loughborough Court, said medical experts had confirmed that Ollie suffered 23 rib fractures and other injuries usually seen after a “high energy car crash.”

He was taken by ambulance to Leicester Royal Infirmary where he died later that day.

Judge Justice Cotter said Ollie would have been in "significant pain" in the days leading up to his death.

Michael Davis, 29, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 years.

The baby's mother, Kayleigh Driver, 31, was cleared of murder last month but found guilty of causing or allowing her son's death.

Driver has been jailed for seven years for allowing the death of a child and allowing serious physical injury.

Sentencing Michael Davis, formerly of Upper Temple Walk, Leicester, Mr Justice Cotter said the murder of Ollie had involved a “devastating” fatal spinal injury inflicted up to eight days before death.

After saying he was sure that Davis had caused all the injuries during four separate overnight “episodes” of violence, Mr Justice Cotter added: “At least five different mechanisms were required to cause this terrible array of injuries.

“Michael Davis, I have no doubt that during the night you became frustrated and angry and this led to terrible violence.

“You assaulted him on multiple occasions. The attacks in their various forms were also brutal – in particular the fatal neck injury.”

In not seeking medical help, Davis had shown “callous indifference” to Ollie’s suffering, the judge also said.

'Ollie could not have caused the injuries to himself', court heard

During a two-month trial into Ollie's murder, the Crown’s barrister, Jonas Hankin KC, told the jury: “A broken neck was not the only injury Ollie sustained. Medical investigation revealed Ollie had sustained a total of 37 fractures.

“They included fractures to the skull, his collar bone, both arms between the shoulder and the elbow, 23 rib fractures and fractures to the joints of all four limbs.

“He also suffered brain injuries, bleeding over the surface of the brain.”

The injuries were inflicted over various overlapping time-frames of up to 10 days before death, the court heard.

Mr Hankin continued: “Ollie could not have caused the injuries to himself – he was a five-week-old pre-mobile baby.”

In videoed police interviews, which were released by Leicestershire Police after the verdicts, Davis repeatedly insisted he could not account for Ollie’s injuries.

Claiming his son had appeared “peaceful” while asleep in his cot, Davis said of the neck fracture: “We will see how it’s happened. He seemed fine when he was sleeping. He wasn’t acting any differently.”

Michael Davis, 29, was found guilty of murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm and was remanded in custody facing a mandatory life sentence.

Jurors cleared Ollie's mother, Kayleigh Driver, 31, of murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but found her guilty of charges of causing or allowing the death of a child and causing or allowing serious physical injury.

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