Devizes man pleads guilty to the manslaughter of his baby
A father has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his three-month-old daughter while the girl’s mother has also admitted child cruelty.
Samuel Warnock, 29, formerly of Devizes, Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Miyah Warnock in 2021 at Winchester Crown Court.
His plea came as he was set to stand trial charged with the child’s murder.
Jasmine Warnock, 29, entered a guilty plea to child cruelty by failing to protect Miyah having previously faced a charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Caroline Carberry KC, prosecuting, said that the pleas were acceptable following consultation with the chief crown prosecutor and the baby’s maternal grandparents.
She said that Mr Warnock faced up to 16 years in prison for the offence of manslaughter while Mrs Warnock faced a sentence of up to two years.
She added that the alternative charges would lie on file.
Officers from Wiltshire Police were called to an address in Cornfield Road, Devizes, due to medical concerns for Miyah.
She was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital on September 20 2021 and died in hospital on October 19 that year.
Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, representing Mrs Warnock, said that her client entered her guilty plea on the basis that she did not witness any assault on Miyah.
She said: “Jasmine Warnock did not foresee the risk of death or any serious injury to Miyah from the actions of Sam Warnock.
“Jasmine Warnock at no time inflicted injury on Miyah and was not present when injury was inflicted. [She] was not present on 20th September when injuries leading to death were inflicted.”
She added that Mrs Warnock raised the issue of bruising suffered by Miyah which Mr Warnock told her had happened because he had a “loss of sensitivity in his hands” which affected how he handled the baby.
He also told her that he had fallen down the stairs while carrying Miyah after his “knee had given way”.
Ms Bennett-Jenkins said: “Jasmine Warnock accepted these explanations without pressing further.”
She added that Mrs Warnock had raised the issue of Mr Warnock’s handling of Miyah but she accepted that she had not taken further steps to prevent it from happening.
She said that Mrs Warnock was not present when Miyah first collapsed on September 18 but saw her subsequently and was recorded on a 999 call saying the child “could not breathe properly, her eyes were rolling backwards and she was going limp.”
Ms Bennett-Jenkins said that Mrs Warnock accepted that she did not investigate the cause of the collapse and allowed Mr Warnock to have sole care of Miyah on the following days before her death.
The judge, Mrs Justice May, adjourned the case for the two defendants to be sentenced on March 18.
She ordered pre-sentence reports to be prepared by the probation service on both defendants and asked for the “dangerousness” of Mr Warnock to be addressed in the evaluation.