Horror injuries baby girl suffered at hands of thug dad who shook her 'like a ragdoll'

An evil dad who murdered his newborn daughter has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 16 years.

Drug-fuelled Thomas Holford shook tiny Everleigh Stroud"like a ragdoll" while he was supposed to be caring for her at the Ramsgate home he shared with his 16-year-old girlfriend and her parents, the court heard.

It was suggested that he assaulted her daughter after she had interrupted a late-night gaming session on his computer.

The five-week old baby was perfectly healthy before the sickening assault. She wasfound by her grandmother "only just breathing" on the morning of April 21, 2021. In a 999 call made at 9 am, Kelly Stroud told the operator that the child "looked like she was in agony".

READ MORE: Drug-fuelled dad who murdered baby after she 'interrupted gaming session' learns fate

After rushing to the scene, paramedics discovered a bruise on Everleigh's face and, close by, a desk strewn with cigarette butts, a baby's bottle, a bag of herbal cannabis and a grinder.

Holford, then 20, initially denied that he had been smoking cannabis on the night Everleigh sustained catastrophic injuries, however, he later accepted this was a lie, admitting to the court that he'd smoked at least five joints before being left in charge of Everleigh while his partner stayed with a friend to celebrate her birthday.

Chillingly, officers who attended the scene remarked that Holford seemed to be in a "good mood" as he played games on his phone, all while his baby and partner were in the back of an ambulance.

Prosecuting, Eloise Marshall KC told the court: "While speaking with Pc Smith, Thomas Holford continued to show little emotion. He did not answer the majority of police questions when interviewed, but did say that he would not do anything to hurt his daughter."

After being rushed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent, it was made horrifyingly clear Everleigh's suffering was far from over.

The tiny child had suffered brain injuries, which left her in a vegetative state, and had also sustained bone fractures, bruising to her face, an anal injury, and atrophy to her eyes, resulting in her going blind.

Some of the medics who analysed Everleigh's injuries determined they would be "non-accidental" but could have mostly originated from the same shaking incident. Sexual offence specialist Dr Monfrinoli also analysed the anal assault incident, and concluded these injuries were likely inflicted by "penile, finger or an object penetration of the anus", and had taken place at around the same time.

The remainder of Everleigh's short life was a terrible struggle. The infant, born on March 13, 2021, spent more than a year in a vegetative state, during which time she required a breathing tube.

Sadly, her condition continued to deteriorate, and the little girl died at 14 months on May 27, 2022. Everleigh's cause of death was given as an old and severe brain injury in keeping with non-accidental abusive trauma, jurors heard.

Holford, from Danbury in Essex, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in November 2024 and denied the charge of murder. He also denied actual bodily harm caused at around the same time to Everleigh's anus.

It was suggested Holford assaulted his daughter after she had interrupted his late-night computer gaming session, and that having inflicted the anal injury and caused extreme pain, he then gripped or clamped the baby's mouth to stop her crying.

However, although Holford agreed that something had set him off that night, throughout his evidence, he maintained that he could not remember the incident.

The jury, made up of seven men and five women, ultimately found Holford unanimously guilty of murder and ABH after deliberating for more than 20 hours.

After Holford was found guilty, Will Bodiam from the Crown Prosecution Service stated: "Holford was left in charge of his daughter on the fateful night and shook her with such force that he caused her traumatic brain injury that ultimately killed her a year later.

"It would have been obvious to him as a parent what he had done by Everleigh's reaction, as she would have immediately shown severe pain and obvious signs of distress. Despite this, he did nothing to help her, claiming that there was nothing wrong with her the following morning when everyone else who saw her knew straightaway something terrible had happened.

"When Everleigh was rushed to intensive care at a London hospital, he showed no emotion, instead continuing to download games on his phone and even asking one of the police officers to help him choose a game.

"Holford's actions left his daughter in unimaginable pain for the next year before her death. Following an extensive police investigation, we were able to build a strong prosecution case proving that Holford deliberately and intentionally injured his daughter. Today he has been brought to justice for the murder of Everleigh and we hope this brings some small comfort to her family."

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