Gosport baby death: Couple Roxanne Davis and Samuel Davies who caused little Stanley to die will not have jail terms increased

A SADISTIC Gosport couple who tortured their baby before he died from a '˜brutal' skull fracture will not have their respective 10-year jail terms increased. Â
Roxanne Davis and Samuel DaviesRoxanne Davis and Samuel Davies
Roxanne Davis and Samuel Davies

Duo Roxanne Davis, 30, and Samuel Davies, 24, were handed down the sentences at Winchester Crown Court in December after they were both found guilty of causing or allowing death of baby Stanley during their stormy relationship.

But the despicable pair could have faced up to 14-year prison terms each following their harrowing abuse of the baby, who died after suffering 32 gruesome fractures to his ribs and nine fractures to his arms and legs during three separate occasions in March of 2017.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The shocking injuries caused to baby Stanley sparked a public furore which led to an online petition signed by 15,500 people calling for the pair's jail terms to be increased.  

Roxanne Davis and Samuel DaviesRoxanne Davis and Samuel Davies
Roxanne Davis and Samuel Davies

But a spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office said: '˜After careful consideration the Solicitor General has concluded that he could not refer these cases to the Court of Appeal.

'˜A referral under the unduly lenient sentencing scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.'

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The spokesperson added: '˜The threshold is a high one and the test was not met in these cases.'

Following the response, Ms Dinenage said: '˜I'm extremely disappointed, local people have been rightly horrified by this brutal, distressing case. I'm still of the opinion that both in general and in this specific case, the maximum sentence is far too low and I will continue to make that argument.' 

During sentencing judge Jane Miller QC said both were equally responsible for the death of Stanley: '˜The final brutal attack could have been caused by Stanley being thrown across the room and could have taken place during the same incident when he was shaken.'

The judge added: '˜You did not blame each other to begin with until in the end Roxanne you put all the blame on Samuel and then Samuel gave evidence in court saying he saw Roxanne shaking Stanley.'

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The couple both tested positive for cocaine and cannabis after their arrests on March 21, when the baby was taken from their flat in Garland Court, Gosport. Stanley died aged 24 days in hospital seven days later.

An independent review of how professionals worked together to safeguard Stanley has been commissioned by Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board.

 

Â