A baby KILLER dad who punched and shook his two-day-old baby girl to death has been found dead in his prison cell.
Earlier that year, in 2017, 22-year-old Liam Deane had been convicted of murdering his newborn daughter after violating shaking and assaulting her just because she “would not stop crying.”
According to reports, the baby named Luna had been left with her father while her mother went off to sleep on July 10 in their Wakefield home. But when the baby wouldn’t stop weeping, her heartless dad punched her in the face, shook, and squeezed her.
Liam at first tried to cover up what he had done, ringing his mum and telling her that the baby was having difficulty breathing and had fallen and hit her head.
He then called an ambulance, and paramedics noticed that the baby’s face was badly swollen and bruised. The next morning, Karen was also told that the baby had fallen and hit her head.
Luna was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and spent three days in intensive care before succumbing to her atrocious injuries. She passed away on 14 July, three days after the attack.
A doctor confirmed that Luna had died as a result of suffering head trauma which left her with “catastrophic brain injuries.”
When questioned by police, Deane could no longer keep up his pretense and broke down when admitting that he was responsible for attacking Luna.
Michael Smith, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court: “He said he was responsible for all of the injuries that she had suffered and he said that Luna had not settled down and he lost control.”
A victim statement was read out in court on behalf of Karen: “Seeing Luna on life support in the hospital will last with me forever. I can’t describe how that felt. I would not wish it upon my worst enemy.”
He was handed a life sentence with a minimum serving of 10 years in prison.
The Recorder of Leeds, judge Peter Collier, QC, said: “You were caring for your two-days-old child. She was crying. You yourself were no doubt stressed and tired but you lost your temper.”
Detective Superintendent Jim Dunkerley, of the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said:
“This was an extremely tragic case where a newborn baby girl has lost her life before its even had chance to begin. Luna suffered an assault at the hands of one of the people who was responsible for her care and wellbeing. Her family has been torn apart by her death.”“Deane will now face life in prison as a result of his abhorrent actions and I hope the family can find some comfort in this verdict.”
A month into his jail sentence, Deane was found covered in blood in his prison cell. According to BBC, his 29-year-old cellmate, John Westland—who was serving a sentence for rape and grievous bodily harm—was convicted of the murder after a 2018 trial at Leeds Crown Court.
According to BBC, while sentencing Westland to serve a minimum of 19 years, Judge Rodney Jameson QC told the inmate: “You told the jury that you believed Liam Deane was a sex offender, but he was not. He had committed a very serious crime, but had admitted it from the first and was trying to come to terms with what he had done.”