Vicious father, 29, who shook his own baby daughter so hard she had a heart attack then accused her of being a 'drama queen' after she was taken to hospital during lockdown is jailed for 14 years

A vicious father who shook his own baby daughter so hard she had a heart attack and died a month later from her injuries during the Covid lockdown has been sentenced to 14 years in jail.

Three-month-old baby Miyah Warnock was rushed to hospital on September 20, 2021 after Samuel Warnock ‘shook’ her so hard she went ‘limp’ at their home in Devizes, Wiltshire

The ‘volatile’ father, 29, then accused his baby daughter of being a ‘drama queen’ after he arrived at Bristol Children’s Hospital, where she died one month later.

Warnock repeatedly abused infant Miyah after he was tasked with the job of being her full-time carer when his partner, Jasmine, returned to work amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

The 29-year-old had a ‘history of volatility’ and on one occasion even ‘grabbed’ his baby daughter out of her cot whilst she was asleep and held her in the air ‘commenting that it was like the scene in The Lion King’.

In the ‘fatal event’, which caused her death at just 17 weeks old, Samuel admitted ‘shaking’ his daughter until she went ‘limp’ – but told a 999 operator the infant had thrown ‘a fit’ and died ‘because she was crying so much’.

Today, a judge jailed the father for 14 years and said he was ‘incapable of care’ for such a ‘vulnerable and defenceless’ child.

Miyah Warnock was only three months old when she died from the injuries she sustained when her father shook her

Samuel Warnock, 29, admitted ‘shaking’ his daughter until she went ‘limp’

Mother Jasmine Warnock was handed a three year community order and asked to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities

Baby Miyah died on October 19, 2021, after spending one month in the intensive care unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital in light of suffering a ‘traumatic head injury’.

Caroline Carberry, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court, Hants, that this injury was most likely as a result of an ‘episode of shaking’ which caused the infant’s heart to stop and left her with ‘unsurvivable brain injuries’.

It was heard the ‘fatal incident’ that led to this death happened a month prior, on September 20, after Miyah had been returned to Samuel having spent the day with his mother.

During this period, his now wife Jasmine had returned to work at a pub and Samuel was the ‘full-time carer’ of baby Miyah.

Ms Carberry told the court: ‘It was clear from messages between them during that time that he was a resentful, angry and jealous man.’

The court heard that in the weeks leading up to her death, her grandparents had noticed bruising on her body, which Samuel had claimed was the result of him squeezing her too hard due to having a lack of sensation in his hands.

It was heard Jasmine had returned home from work on September 20 to find Samuel was on the phone to the emergency services.

The prosecutor said: ‘It was just after ten past nine, Miyah had been in his solo care for about 25 minutes.

‘[Samuel] told the 999 operator that Miyah had woken from a nap ready for a bottle, that she “threw a fit” and got to the point where she had stopped breathing because she was crying so much.

‘He said her breathing was staggered [and] was trying to cool the bottle down and picked her up and he started to give her the bottle.’

It was heard that in later police interviews, Samuel said baby Miyah was ‘fussing’ and he thought she was hungry.

Samuel said Miyah began to cry ‘so he ran downstairs’ to get her a bottle.

Ms Carberry said: ‘When he returned Miyah had pushed her dummy out and was pushing her arms out and kicking her legs out and she was screaming.

‘He said she was screaming in his ear and he said “Baby it’s fine”, and then said “I’ve looked at her, put her back on my chest and just a I’m shaking her, not shaking her, bobbing up and down with her, she’s gone”.’

The father said Miyah went ‘limp’ before ‘gasping for air’

After the paramedics arrived, he returned to his bedroom to smoke cannabis and only reemerged after his now mother-in-law, Michelle Rideout, said ‘go downstairs and be with your daughter’.

Ms Carberry added: ‘He then returned and was noted by paramedics to be “agitated and aggressive, shouting and swearing”.’

Miyah arrived at Bristol Children’s Hospital whilst in a ‘deeply unconscious’ state.

The prosecutor said a paramedic who met the parents described them as being ‘jovial and chatty’.

She added: ‘He said they were interacting freely with other parents in the waiting area.

‘When the receptionist asked what the presenting complaint was, Dad stated “She was unwell yesterday, ambulance saw her, she had a fit – she was being a bit of a drama queen”.’

This paramedic said: ‘Their lack of emotion and unusual interaction gave me cause for concern.’

CT scans found Miyah’s injuries were ‘in keeping with non-accidental head trauma’ which occurred after a ‘shaking injury’.

Sadly, baby Miyah ‘never recovered from her injuries’ and passed away in hospital a month later.

The court heard Samuel had a ‘history of volatility’ and on previous occasions, ‘he had caused bruises to their baby when she was only a few weeks old’.

Ms Carberry said: ‘Friends who spoke to police have described Samuel Warnock behaving in a manner that caused them concern in his handling of Miyah, in the presence of Jasmine.

‘Miyah was only a couple of weeks old, when a friend saw Samuel Warnock smoking cannabis close to the moses basket in which Miyah was sleeping.

The court heard that in the weeks leading up to her death, her grandparents had noticed bruising on her body

‘Warnock suddenly “grabbed” Miyah out of the basket whilst she was asleep and held her above his head, commenting that it was like the scene in The Lion King when the baby lion is held aloft.’

The court was told whilst Jasmine, 29, was ‘fully aware’ of her partner’s ‘volatility’, she was a victim of domestic abuse and ‘coercion and control’.

Ms Carberry added: ‘She chose to and to believe Samuel Warnock when he provided her with excuses for Miyah’s bruises.’

In January this year, Warnock admitted a charge of manslaughter whilst his wife pleaded guilty to child cruelty by neglect.

Speaking through his defence barrister, Charles Rowe, Samuel told the court: ‘I would like to express my regret for my actions I took that subsequently led to my beautiful daughter’s death.

‘It is something that will always haunt me. I wish with all my being that I could give those minutes back, in fact I would give my own life to get my daughter back.’

Mr Rowe said Samuel will ‘regret’ those actions ‘for the rest of his life’.

Representing Jasmine, Sallie Bennett-Jenkins, said: ‘It is clear therefore that this is an offence of omission however it is right to say this.

‘Jasmine Warnock, as an inexperienced, first time mother, did raise concerns with Samuel Warnock.

‘Concerns of bruising and the manner in which he was handling Miyah.

‘The gravamen was that she believed what she was told by Samuel Warnock.’

Sentencing the couple, Mrs Justice Juliet May DBE, said the infant died after she taken to hospital by ambulance in September but ‘never regained consciousness’.

She said: ‘All deaths leave a sad loss but there is something particularly wretched about the death of a baby so vulnerable and defenceless, barely beginning in life.

‘Miyah’s vulnerability as an infant is what gave rise to the high risk of death.’

Judge May described Samuel as being ‘profoundly needy’, ‘a danger’, and ‘incapable of care’.

She sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment, at least nine years of which he will serve in custody.

Sentencing Jasmine, Judge May said: ‘There is no question that you loved Miyah very much and cared for her well.

‘You knew nothing about the foot injury and intervened to stop Samuel on the Lion King occasion.’

Judge May said the ‘knowledge’ of her parent’s violence should have acted as a ‘warning’ to the mother.

She added: ‘Miyah was too young to tell you what he was doing to her but you should have read it.

‘You gave into those excuses he was telling you.’

Jasmine was handed a three year community order and asked to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities with the Nelson Trust.

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