Samuel Warnock (29) received a 14-year prison sentence for the manslaughter of his three-month-old daughter, Miyah Warnock. Warnock admitted guilt to the offense in January, as reported by the BBC.
Medical examinations confirmed that Miyah’s injuries resulted from either violent shaking or blunt force trauma.
Miyah’s mother Jasmine Warnock (29) was sentenced to a three-year community order and 30 days of rehabilitation after admitting to child cruelty charges.
Miyah’s grandparents Andrew and Michelle Rideou in a tribute said, “Miyah was our princess. We are devastated by the loss of our granddaughter. We will never get over losing her.”
On 20 September 2021 emergency services were called to the couple’s residence following medical concerns about baby Miyah. The infant was transported to Bristol Children’s Hospital but tragically passed away on Oct 19.
According to the BBC, Warnock was alone with his daughter for 25 minutes when Miyah experienced her fatal collapse.
Medical examinations indicated that Miyah’s fatal injuries were consistent with abusive head trauma, including evidence of violent shaking or blunt force impact.
Sentencing the couple at Winchester Crown Court, the judge, Mrs. Justice May, described Warnock as a “reckless and irresponsible new father, prone to anger, easily frustrated, profoundly needy and dangerously incapable of caring properly for a tiny new baby”.
The judge told Mrs Warnock: “You are to some extent a victim of controlling and coercive behaviour and this impacted your ability to recognise what he was doing but it didn’t render you entirely powerless.”
Detective Con Katey Baker said, “This was an extensive, and at times, extremely complex investigation, which required in-depth medical examinations to be carried out.
“It was these examinations which revealed the true extent of what little Miyah had been through at the hands of her father – one of the people who Miyah should have felt most happy, safe and content in the care of.”
“Miyah was so small and so vulnerable at just three months old – but I hope this case has gone some way in giving her the voice she never had.”