A man originally from the Street and Glastonbury area and his partner are standing trial accused of murdering their baby son, who died at just 14 days old.

Daniel Gunter, 27, and Sophie Staddon, 23, are both charged with murder and with causing or allowing the death of Brendon Staddon, who died on 5 March 2024 after being found unresponsive in a hospital cot.

The jury at Bristol Crown Court was told that Brendon had been receiving care in the special baby unit at Yeovil District Hospital when staff were alerted by Staddon, who said her son felt cold.

When nurses checked, they found Brendon seriously injured and unresponsive, with his baby grow open.

Prosecutors said the baby had suffered severe trauma across multiple parts of his body, including the head, neck, limbs and jaw. Medical experts later concluded that the injuries were consistent with significant force. One specialist compared the extent of the damage to the impact of a heavy object falling on his head.

Attempts were made to resuscitate Brendon, but he was pronounced dead shortly before 5am.

The court was told that social services had previously raised concerns about the baby's welfare. In January, Gunter and Staddon were informed that the child would likely be taken into care after birth.

Brendon was born on 20 February. Although medical staff encouraged Staddon to remain in hospital, she left and returned to temporary accommodation she was sharing with Gunter.

Concerns were also raised about Gunter's behaviour while in the hospital, with staff reportedly seeing him remove Brendon from his incubator without permission and ignore clinical advice.

The jury heard that nurses became worried about the baby's condition and the couple's interactions with staff.

On the day before Brendon's death, Gunter and Staddon arrived at the hospital. Witnesses are expected to describe ongoing arguments between them during their time on the ward.

In the early hours of 5 March, staff were told by Staddon that Brendon felt cold. Gunter initially insisted the baby was fine, but after nurses began treatment, Staddon became visibly distressed and reportedly said, "He's not fine." Both parents then left the unit and did not return.

They were arrested outside the hospital soon after.

In interviews with police, both denied harming Brendon. Gunter claimed he had done nothing to cause the injuries and said the same was true of Staddon. Staddon told officers she had not witnessed any violence, but described Gunter as angry and controlling, and said they had been arguing about whether he was the baby's father.

She told police she had no idea what had happened to Brendon and said she would have spoken out if she had suspected anything was wrong.

Both Gunter and Staddon deny the charges. The trial continues.