South Yorkshire baby killer one-fifth of way through sentence of at least 16 years for murder of infant son
A court heard Mathias had vigorously shaken his son in a "moment of frustration"
Baby killer Leon Mathias is now one fifth of the way through a sentence of at least 16 years for the murder of his nine-week-old son Hunter Mathias.
Barnsley labourer Mathias was aged 34 when he was handed a life term by Mrs Justice Lambert at Sheffield Crown Court in February 2023.
During his trial, the court heard Mathias had vigorously shaken his son in a "moment of frustration" after the little one pooed in the bath on November 30, 2018.
Hunter was taken to Barnsley Hospital in cardio-respiratory arrest before being transferred to Sheffield Children's Hospital, where he died three days later.
Medical examination found he had suffered severe brain and eye injuries, bruising to his scalp and leg fractures.
Mathias’ partner and Hunter's mother, Becky Higginbottom, had been downstairs with a friend at the time and were alerted by him shouting for help after the child went "floppy," the jury was told.
Mathias, who had no previous convictions, told the trial he wrapped Hunter in a towel and claimed his son started crying as he was being moisturised but then suddenly stopped breathing and as he tried to revive him his partner called 999.
Crucially, Mathias omitted the truth about events leading-up to the 999 call though - even as medics were fighting to save his son's life, jurors heard.
Sentencing him to life, Mrs Justice Lambert told Mathias: “You lost your temper and you took your frustration out on your nine-week-old son. Your behaviour was nothing short of grotesque.
“Following Hunter’s collapse you could have told the truth about him. You knew you had shaken him and you knew that shaking a baby like that could be fatal.”
Robert Smith KC, prosecuting, told jurors during the trial a post-mortem examination revealed bruising to Hunter’s scalp was consistent with an impact injury to the head.
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.
Justice Lambert heard that the night Mathias murdered his son he had acted in irritation, having come home from work to a small house full of people and “snapped”.
However she added: “You breached a trust in inflicting violence upon your defenceless nine-week-old son for no reason other than you had a hard day at work is truly horrifying.
“By shaking your son in your frustration you breached that precious relationship of trust that exists between a parent and a child.”
Arguing for a shorter sentence, defence barrister Peter Griffiths KC told the judge: This defendant will have to live for the rest of his life with a conviction for murdering his firstborn son.
“This on any view is a terrible cross to bear and something he will have to pay for for the rest of his life.”
After the sentence was passed, family members in the public gallery shouted "we are all behind you" and "we know you're innocent" as Mathias was led away.
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