Man found guilty of murdering 21-month-old child

Sean Sadler, 31, had denied inflicting Lilly's injuries but was convicted of her murder at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

He was also found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Lilly on a previous occasion.

On November 19, 2017, Lilly was rushed to hospital having sustained a catastrophic head injury and six broken ribs while being cared for by Sadler. Despite medical treatment, she tragically died three days later as a result of her injuries.

Lilly was also found to have suffered other injuries in the weeks prior to her death. The prosecution’s case was that all of Lilly’s injuries were inflicted deliberately by Sean Sadler while she was in his care.

Lilly had been placed with a legal guardian and in the spring of 2017, the guardian began a relationship with Sadler. He became a regular visitor to their home, often staying overnight. The court heard that it wasn’t long before the guardian began to notice bruises on Lilly and photographed them from September 2017, even alerting Lilly’s nursery so they could monitor her.

On the afternoon of November 19, Lilly was left in Sadler’s care while the guardian went out. Sadler alleged that Lilly went to sleep on the settee, but sometime later she would not wake when he tried to rouse her, so he called an ambulance.

At hospital the extent of Lilly’s injuries became apparent when bruising was found on her scalp under her hair, and following her death extensive post-mortem examinations revealed the head injury which killed her and six broken ribs. Experts believed these were non-accidental and the likely cause was that Lilly had been violently shaken and thrown against a soft surface, such as the armrest of a settee.

It was not the only abuse Lilly had suffered when it emerged that she had three fractured vertebrae in her spine and bleeding in her lungs, which had happened some two to three weeks previously.

Sadler, of Coriander Close in Rubery, was arrested and ultimately charged with Lilly’s murder and wounding.

During his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury heard from expert witnesses who testified that they found multiple sites of recent and healing injuries on Lilly’s small body. They found a total of 40 injuries, including 20 to her head and neck and the rest to her body and limbs. They were considered to be consistent with gripping with excessive force or being slapped.

Lilly's devastated grandmother, Lesley Hanrahan, who looked after her granddaughter for four months after she was born in February 2016 as her daughter was unable to care for the newborn herself, said: "She loved to dance! She would hear music and her arm would shoot up in the air.

“I’ve got another grandchild and when you look at her, you would think it was Lilly, and it kills me.”

Detective Sergeant Al Darby, from West Midlands Police's homicide unit, said: “The death of a child is the most tragic of events and in these circumstances is shocking and incomprehensible.

“It has taken three years to bring Sadler to justice and I thank the medical experts for their diligence and tenacity in examining the evidence and putting it before the jury.

“I hope today’s verdict brings some solace to Lilly’s family – my thoughts are with them.”

Hannah Sidaway, of the Crown Prosecution Service West Midlands, added: “Lilly was described as a happy and bubbly little girl and a much-loved family member. This was an extremely complex case in which the prosecution instructed a number of medical experts to give evidence about Lilly’s injuries and to rule out non-accidental causes.

"The Crown Prosecution Service worked closely with West Midlands Police from the outset of the investigation. I would extend my sincere condolences to all of those who have suffered from Lilly’s tragic loss.”

Sadler will be sentenced on Friday.