A father who assaulted his three-month-old baby in a Stafford KFC before violently shaking him days later has been jailed for nine years. Gareth Stark, 38, was captured on CCTV deliberately slapping the back of his son Leon Stark's head while inside the fast-food restaurant on October 9, 2023.
Fatal Shaking Incident
Just three days after the KFC assault, Stark was alone with Leon at their home in Masefield Drive, Stafford, when he forcefully shook the infant. The baby suffered multiple brain, eye, and spinal injuries. Stark called 999 but lied, claiming he had put Leon in his crib and found him unresponsive with a red rash 30 minutes later. Leon was rushed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital and later transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but died on October 20, 2023.
Court Proceedings
At Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, Judge Farrer KC sentenced Stark for manslaughter and battery. The judge stated that the KFC assault was not a forceful blow and that Stark did not intend to cause injury, but the subsequent shaking was a traumatic injury inflicted in gross breach of trust. Leon was extremely vulnerable due to his age, and Stark should have known that forceful shaking was highly likely to cause serious harm.
Stark admitted battery and manslaughter on a basis, claiming he recklessly assaulted Leon in KFC and later momentarily shook him in frustration when he could not stop him crying. The court heard that Leon's mother, Laura Willey, had a medically uneventful pregnancy, and Leon was born healthy via caesarean section in July 2023. He was making steady developmental progress before his death.
Evidence and Defence
Prosecutor Lisa Hancox said KFC footage showed Stark striking Leon while Ms Willey's back was turned, leaving the baby visibly upset. Experts confirmed Leon suffered abusive head trauma, with a medical cause of death of traumatic head injury. The force used by Stark would have been clearly recognisable as excessive.
Defence lawyer Justin Jarmola described the shake as momentary, adding that Stark will never forgive himself and that guilt will remain with him forever. He noted Stark's long history of mental illness, including anxiety and bipolar disorder, and a prior conditional discharge for criminal damage in 2023. However, Judge Farrer acknowledged that Stark was medicated and not symptomatic at the time of the fatal injuries.
Stark was jailed for nine years for manslaughter and battery, with the judge emphasising the gross breach of trust and the vulnerability of the infant victim.
