A “controlling and coercive” father who shook his three-month-old daughter to death has been jailed for 14 years.
Samuel Warnock, 29, of Devizes in Wiltshire, previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Myah Warnock in 2021.
His wife and Miyah’s mum, Jasmine Warnock, 29, was sentenced to a three-year community order with 30 rehabilitation days.
She previously pleaded guilty to child cruelty for failing to stop her husband from assaulting their daughter.
Sentencing the pair, the judge, Mrs Justice May, said the death came against a background of domestic abuse by Warnock against his wife.
She 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”.
Caroline Carberry KC, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court that Miyah was admitted to Bristol Children’s Hospital on September 20, 2021, where she died on October 19.
She said: “She had suffered a traumatic head injury which caused her heart to stop and left her with un-survivable brain injuries.”
The fatal incident happened two days after Warnock had called 999 reporting that Miyah was having difficulties breathing.
However she was deemed to be normal after paramedics.
The court heard how two days later on September 20, Jasmine had returned home from work to find Samuel on the phone to the emergency services.
Warnock told the operator Miyah had “a fit” after waking up and had stopped breathing “because she was crying so much”, Ms Carberry said.
SMOKED WEED IN FRONT OF PARAMEDICS
The father said Miyah then went “limp” before “gasping for air” but after paramedics arrived, he went to his room to smoke weed.
He only reemerged after his now mother-in-law, Michelle Rideout, said “go downstairs and be with your daughter”, the prosecutor said.
He returned but paramedics said he appeared ‘agitated and aggressive, shouting and swearing’, the court heard.
Ms Carberry said Miyah was taken to hospital where Warnock told a receptionist: “‘She was unwell yesterday, ambulance saw her, she had a fit – she was being a bit of a drama queen’.”
The father was on bail for dealing cannabis at the time of his daughters fatal collapse and had continued to deal drugs while Miyah was in intensive care.
Miyah died nearly a month later on October 19.
Ms Carberry told the court that Warnock would smoke weed around the baby and had a history of violent offences including biting a police officer.
She was unwell yesterday, ambulance saw her, she had a fit – she was being a bit of a drama queen
Samuel Warnock to a Bristol Children's Hospital receptionist
She said that family members had spotted bruising on the three-month-old’s legs and shoulders prior to the fatal incident.
Friends later raised concerns after witnessing Warnock’s “rough handling” of Miyah, the court heard.
Ms Carberry added: “He was seen to grab her out of the basket while she was asleep, holding her above his head and commenting it was like a scene in The Lion King.
“He was seen not to support her head and moving her body back and forth.”
She added how Warnock had been “controlling and coercive” towards his wife.
But Mrs Warnock – who was not present when Miyah was fatally injured – “ignored those red flags” of her daughter’s injuries which her husband had caused, instead choosing to believe his “excuses”.
Ms Carberry added: “She failed to protect her baby daughter.
“She is not responsible for assaulting the baby on any occasion, she was not present when the fatal injury was inflicted.”
‘DEVASTATED’
Miyah’s grandparents, who helped care for her, were “devastated” at her death which had “ripped a hole in their lives”, the court heard.
Charles Row, defending Samuel Warnock, said his client had expressed “genuine” remorse.
A written note from the father read: “It is something that will always haunt me. I wish with all my being I could take those minutes back, I would give my own life to have my daughter back.”
Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, defending Mrs Warnock, said: “She didn’t foresee the risk of death or serious harm to Miyah and at no time was she present when injuries were inflicted nor did she inflict injury.”
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.”
