Sheffield Crown Court: Trial of man accused of murdering his baby son enters its fourth month

Sheffield Crown Court originally heard at the beginning of the trial on October 26, last year, how Leon Mathias, aged 33, of Stonebridge Lane, in Great Houghton, Barnsley, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and murdering his two-month-old son, Hunter, who was taken to hospital with injuries on November 30, 2018, and later died on December 3, 2018.

Robert Smith KC, prosecuting, has told the jury that Hunter Mathias was just over two-months-old when he died at Sheffield Children’s Hospital from a severe brain injury.

A post-mortem examination revealed bruising to Hunter’s scalp was consistent with an impact injury to the head, according to Mr Smith, and scans revealed three lower limb fractures, including one which was believed to have happened around the time of the head injury with the other two occurring days earlier.

Mr Smith claimed Mr Mathias assaulted Hunter and later murdered his baby son possibly after he had lost his temper while the child was crying. He also claimed experts believe these injuries were closely associated with the shaking of a child, the twisting of limbs or swinging a child by the legs.

He said: “The prosecution’s case is that the defendant Leon Mathias, father of Hunter, is the person responsible for inflicting the head injuries resulting in Hunter’s death and he did so by physically holding Hunter by his legs and hitting him against a surface and he may also have shaken him at some time.”

However, labourer Leon Mathias has denied murdering his baby son and he told the jury that he had tried to save Hunter after the youngster had suddenly stopped breathing during a bath.

He told the jury Hunter had previously been struggling with breathing while feeding and that he had got in the bath with his son on the evening of November 30, 2018, while his partner Becky Higginbottom was downstairs but they got out of the bath after the youngster had defecated.

Mr Mathias said he wrapped Hunter in a towel and claimed his son started crying as he was being moisturised. The dad said the baby then suddenly stopped breathing and as he began trying to revive him his partner called 999.

Defence barrister Peter Griffiths KC confirmed Becky Higginbottom was given instructions by the 999 call operator which she passed to Mr Mathias telling him to lie the child on his back, carry out chest compressions, to check if there was any food in his mouth and to carry out a mouth-mouth procedure.

The defendant said Hunter vomited from his nose and mouth and Becky had said Hunter had stopped breathing and he had turned blue.

Mr Griffiths confirmed an auntie took over CPR before paramedics arrived and took Hunter by ambulance to Barnsley District General Hospital. He was later transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Mr Mathias said: “I cannot remember if I banged his head. I was panicking. I was rushing. I was trying to save my son. I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I was trying to save him.”

Neuroradiologist Dr Daniel Connolly told the court that following scans of Hunter, imaging features could be consistent with an ‘inflicted injury’ however external trauma, infection, clotting and metabolic disorders could not be ruled out.

Additional defence barrister Matthew McDonagh confirmed with Dr Connolly that the cardiac arrest and the significant period when Hunter had temporarily stopped breathing may have also resulted in brain injury.

Mr Mathias said that he had been “absolutely overjoyed” at the birth of his son on September 27, 2018, and he and his partner had shared the child’s caring responsibilities.

The court heard Hunter’s parents had been advised about shaken-baby syndrome and the safe handling of their son by a community nurse, and there had been no problems during home visits.

Mr Mathias has pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Hunter between November 22 and 29, 2018, and he has pleaded not guilty to murdering Hunter who died on December 3, 2018.

The trial continues.