AN EVIL BOYFRIEND who shook a newborn baby girl to death because she looked she looked like her real dad was jailed for life today. Davey Everson, 23, violently shook Millie-Rose Burdett and threw her in a fit of rage and Kirsty Burdett, 25, failed to protect her. Passing sentence at the Old Bailey today, […]
AN EVIL BOYFRIEND who shook a newborn baby girl to death because she looked she looked like her real dad was jailed for life today.
Davey Everson, 23, violently shook Millie-Rose Burdett and threw her in a fit of rage and Kirsty Burdett, 25, failed to protect her.
Passing sentence at the Old Bailey today, Justice Cheema-Grubb said the killer had become “riled” at Millie-Rose’s appearance.
Everson, who was 21 at the time, had started a relationship with Burdett in 2018 while she was pregnant with Millie-Rose after she had broken up with the father.
He had told her he wanted to be a father for Millie-Rose, but he lost interest when she began looking more like her biological father.
Everson claimed the baby had choked in December 2018 while Burdett helped him cover his tracks.
But when Millie-Rose was rushed to hospital, doctors found she had suffered a bleed to the brain, from being violently shaken and thrown into her cot.
The judge said it was clear Everson had “deliberately” killed the baby and not simply lost control in the heat of an impatient moment.
Millie-Rose was born on October 10, 2018 and was admitted to hospital on December 15 of the same year suffering from multiple fractures and a severe brain injury.
While she was in a coma, her life support was turned off in January 2019.
She had suffered horrific injuries including head trauma, 12 fractures to multiple ribs, leg fractures and compression fractures to her spine.
The fatal injury was caused by Everson hurling her into a cot at the mother’s home in Herts.
The court heard he had become frustrated while feeding the baby girl, swearing at her when she struggled with a large bottle she could not fit in her mouth.
Jurors at St Albans Crown Court convicted him of murder and a separate charge of cruelty to a person aged under 16 involving another young child who cannot be named.
He was also convicted of a charge of cruelty to a person aged under 16 involving another young child who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Burdett was convicted for causing or allowing the death of her daughter and the neglect of a person under 16.
The mother, wearing a silver puffer jacket and black mask, wiped away tears with a tissue as the court heart the horrific details of the case.
Everson sobbed alongside her in the dock wearing a Nike jacket as the court heard mitigation that he was “immature” and “ill-equipped” to care for a child.
Jane Bickerstaff, defending Everson, said: “In relation to the minimum term our submissions are these this offence happened within a very short compass of time.
“Secondly, that it was not premeditated. Thirdly that there was no intention to kill Millie Rose and an intention to kill is assumed within the 15 year starting point. Fourthly, that it was no doubt instantly regretted.”
She added that her client has an IQ of just 65, placing him in the intellectual bracket of “mild learning disability”.
Sean Larkin, defending Burdett, said she had suffered depression since the age of 16 and told the court Millie-Rose’s death had a” devastating impact” on her.
During sentencing today, Justice Grubb said: “You [Everson] had many sources of help but all your promises were empty.
“You continued use excessive force when feeding and playing with her. She was a young baby and she cried. You swore at her when she struggled with a large teet on her bottle.
“When you Burdett finally admitted to police after arrest that you knew Davey was being violent to her it was not enough to protect Millie-Rose.”
She continued: “You knew this young man was immature…But in reality you didn’t care enough to remove her from the risk he obviously posed of causing her serious harm.
“You had an argument evidenced by texts exchanged. Millie-Rose was beginning to resemble her biological father and this riled you.
“I am sure that in your mind this was a personal rebut to you and being a father figure to the child was no longer such an attractive prospect.”
It is plain now Millie suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity during her short life
Prosecutor David Spens QC
Prosecutor David Spens QC told the jury during the tiral: “It is plain now Millie suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity during her short life.”
The court was told around a month after her birth, Millie-Rose had bruises on her cheeks caused by Everson.
The prosecutor said that in November 2018 police attended the property after the couple were heard arguing.
In a police report, it had been recorded: “There has been a verbal argument between the couple due to the stress of their one-month-old baby. No offence has been disclosed.”
Mr Spens said that in the same month during a phone call with a social worker, Everson said a bruise on Millie-Rose’s face had been caused when he was accidentally “burping” her.
Burdett was in the background of the call and was able to hear what was being said, the court heard.
Later that same month, Millie-Rose was taken to Watford General Hospital after she had been “screaming in pain”, but it was put down to “colic”- which is when there is obvious explanation for why the baby is crying.
Following the baby’s death, the post-mortem examination revealed Millie-Rose’s ribs had been fractured at some point around the time she was taken to hospital in November.
On the day Millie-Rose was rushed to hospital in December 2018, the couple had argued.
Burdett later told police after had been planning to end the relationship but “needed Davey’s money to buy food”.
The judge said: “You argued loudly and your neighbour heard shouting and screaming but then you went out shopping together.
“Despite the ferocity of the argument and all you knew of you left him alone to feed her.
“He didn’t want to feed. He was lying in bed ready to watch a film… Millie-Rose was fatally injured.”
Everson told a 999 operator that Millie-Rose wasn’t breathing properly and she was taken by ambulance to Watford General Hospital.
Everson told an officer who went to the house he was feeding Millie-Rose when he tried to burp her and her head and arms went backwards and she became floppy, the court heard.
At the hospital, a CT scan showed Millie-Rose was suffering from a bleed on her brain and she had bruises on her left forearm and left forehead.
Everson was arrested later that same day at the hospital on suspicion of attempted murder.
In a police interview he declined to answer questions and gave officers a prepared statement in which he said: “At no time did I cause any harm to Millie-Rose. I do not wish to make any further comment.”
The court heard that in Burdett’s first interview with police officers she told them her boyfriend could be “heavy handed” with the baby.
She said: “All I can think he’s put the milk in too far down; she’s drunk too much – that’s why she has choked. But that doesn’t explain the bleed on the brain …”
The judge told Everson during sentencing: “The truth is there was no reason for her to have lost consciousness without assault. You had shaken the baby violently leading to severe brain damage.
“You had caused four fractures to her spine which would have required severe force.
“You even denied you had shaken her when asked directly in interview.”
She continued: “I sentence you on the basis that you were angry and the baby was crying or not doing what you wanted to do.You have expressed no remorse.”
Dr Nathaniel Cary, a highly experienced consultant forensic pathologist said that the case was towards the upper end of severity in terms of examples of shaking impact, because of the nature and extent of skeletal injury.
The jury was told Millie-Rose’s death resulted from traumatic head injury.
Everson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years.
Burdett was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
Senior investigating officer, detective inspector Iain Macpherson, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This is a tragic and heart-breaking case that has resulted in the death of an innocent baby.
“Everson is a dangerous and cruel man who has showed no remorse for what he has done.
“He made no comment throughout police interviews and has never explained how defenceless Millie-Rose suffered her fatal injuries.
“Burdett put her own interests before her child and failed in her fundamental duty to keep her safe from harm.”
