Babysitter who murdered toddler by beating and shaking her is jailed for life
A babysitter has been jailed for life after murdering a toddler following weeks of horrific abuse.
Sean Sadler, 32, inflicted fatal brain injuries and six broken ribs on 21-month-old Lilly Hanrahan and left her for around three hours before calling an ambulance.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years in prison after making ‘shameful and cowardly’ attempts to cover up his actions, which ‘were linked to his uncontrollable temper’.
Bruises started appearing on the ‘bubbly’ little girl’s body after Sadler started a relationship with Lilly’s guardian in the spring of 2017.
The guardian began photographing the bruises in September, asking staff at her nursery to monitor the child.
Lily was raced to hospital on the afternoon of November 19, 2017 after collapsing while in Sadler’s care.
Medics concluded her injuries were too severe and turned the toddler’s life support off three days later.
Sadler denied murder, claiming Lilly had fallen asleep on the sofa after watching TV and he called 999 when he was unable to wake her up.
But jurors heard how the ‘normal, happy’ toddler had been shaken and beaten with such violence that she suffered broken bones.
Mr Justice Saini imposed a mandatory life term on the babysitter, saying he had engaged in ‘subterfuge’ and ‘trickery’ to cover up an assault on Lilly committed around a week before her death.
Birmingham Crown Court was told he had four previous convictions for offences of battery, starting with an attack in which he struck his then partner with a dog chain.
The offences, which led to court appearances in 2012, 2014 and 2017, also included an assault outside a social club in which a female victim was punched in the face without warning.
Mr Justice Saini, who imposed a concurrent three-year sentence for the earlier assault on Lily, said the defendant had shown ‘no remorse’ for the ‘brutal assault.
He told Sadler: ‘Mr (Jonas) Hankin QC, for the Crown, was right to describe you as a perpetrator hiding in plain sight.
‘You are an accomplished liar. Sadly, you were able to convince (Lilly’s guardian) to allow you to have charge of Lilly.
‘On one of those occasions when you were meant to be caring for Lilly, you committed a serious assault.
‘You delayed seeking medical help for a number of hours and in doing so showed callous indifference to Lilly’s suffering. It must have been obvious to you that she was seriously hurt.
‘This was a brutal assault, on any view, and you have shown no remorse.’
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