Sheffield Crown Court: Child killer found guilty day after his birthday set to discover his fate today

The jury in a long-running trial at Sheffield Crown Court found Leon Mathias, now aged 34, of Stonebridge Lane, Great Houghton, Barnsley, guilty of murdering his nine-week old baby son Hunter who was taken to hospital with injuries on November 30, 2018, and later died on December 3, 2018.

The judge, Mrs Justice Lambert told the defendant: “Mr Mathias, you have been found guilty of murder. A custodial sentence is inevitable, as I’m sure you know. For that reason, you are remanded into custody.”

Mathias had pleaded not guilty to assaulting and murdering baby son Hunter, but the jury found him guilty of murder on Monday, January 30 – just one day after Mathias marked his 34th birthday, on Sunday, January 29 – and after 27 hours, 29 minutes of deliberating by the jurors.

The jury also returned a not guilty verdict on the second charge faced by Mathias of causing grievous bodily harm with intent between November 22 and 29, 2018.

Robert Smith KC, prosecuting, previously told the jury Hunter Mathias was just over two-months-old when he died at Sheffield Children’s Hospital from a severe brain injury.

A post-mortem examination revealed bruising to Hunter’s scalp was consistent with an impact injury to the head, according to Mr Smith, and scans revealed three lower limb fractures, including one which was believed to have happened around the time of the head injury with the other two occurring days earlier.

Mr Smith had originally claimed Mr Mathias had assaulted Hunter and later murdered his baby son possibly after he had lost his temper while the child was crying.

Labourer Leon Mathias had denied assaulting and murdering his baby son and he had claimed to the jury that he had tried to save Hunter after the youngster had suddenly stopped breathing during a bath.

He had also claimed Hunter had previously been struggling with breathing while feeding and that he had got in the bath with his son on the evening of November 30, 2018, while his partner Becky Higginbottom was downstairs but they got out of the bath after the youngster had defecated.

Mr Mathias said he wrapped Hunter in a towel and claimed his son started crying as he was being moisturised. The dad said the baby then suddenly stopped breathing and as he began trying to revive him his partner called 999.

Defence barrister Peter Griffiths KC confirmed Becky Higginbottom was given instructions by the 999 call operator which she passed to Mr Mathias telling him to lie the child on his back, carry out chest compressions, to check if there was any food in his mouth and to carry out a mouth-mouth procedure.

The defendant said Hunter vomited from his nose and mouth and Becky had said Hunter had stopped breathing and he had turned blue.

Mr Griffiths confirmed an auntie took over CPR before paramedics arrived and took Hunter by ambulance to Barnsley District General Hospital. He was later transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Mathias is due to be sentenced for murder today, Thursday, February 2, at Sheffield Crown Court.