February 2019

Father sentenced to minimum of 13 years in prison after shaking his baby daughter to death

A father will serve a minimum of 13 years in prison after shaking his baby daughter to death at the family home.

Neil Smith was caring for little Hope Sofia – who was just four months-old at the time – on his own for the first time on the evening of August 4, 2017.

Police say Smith had wanted to watch football on TV and they believe he may have become frustrated at having to look after his little girl.

Smith, of Coleridge Close, Willenhall, had denied murder but was convicted today following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

Smith, 33, had been left alone with baby Hope while his wife Nicola had gone out for the evening, the court heard.

But less than 10 minutes after making a FaceTime chat to check on her, Mrs Smith received a call from her husband on the evening of August 4, 2017 to say their four-month-old daughter was ‘floppy and lifeless’

Hope was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital and later to Birmingham Children’s Hospital but she died some months later from catastrophic brain injuries.

Hope was taken to hospital but failed to recover and her life support machine was switched off in November that year.

A post mortem revealed catastrophic brain injuries which were consistent with being shaken or thrown onto a soft surface, or possibly both, and Smith – who had been previously questioned on suspicion of assault – was charged with murder.

The 33-year-old – who suffered serious injuries of his own following an industrial accident in 2015 – was convicted of murder.

Smith, now of Coleridge Close, Willenhall, was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 13 years in prison.