Baby shaker loses appeal to reduce his jail sentence (From The Argus)

Baby shaker loses appeal to reduce his jail sentence

3:30pm Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Anna Roberts, Crime reporter

Baby shaker loses appeal to reduce his jail sentence

A MAN convicted of killing a baby has failed in an appeal to have his eight-year jail sentence slashed.

A top judge said there were no grounds to reduce baby shaker Jerome Edwards’ sentence.

Edwards, 28, appeared before Mr Justice Maddison sitting at the Court of Appeal in London last month where he learned he would not have his sentence for manslaughter reduced.

At Lewes Crown Court in September 2012 Edwards, who gave his address as Bridgefield Close in Midhurst but previously lived at Nursery Lane in Worthing, was convicted of killing 11-month-old Crystal Hall-Hummel.

The court heard how he lost his temper with little Crystal and shook her at an address in Nursery Lane in May 2011.

A jury was told her injuries were so severe one hospital consultant had not seen worse in 20 years but Edwards, who had a clean record, claimed he had not shaken the tot.

He said she obtained her injuries – which triggered a heart attack – by choking on a bottle.

Yesterday Crystal’s mother Georgina Hummel was not available for comment, but previously she had told The Argus she wished he had received longer than eight years.

She said: “I can only pray that in the future he is never given responsibility for a baby or child and he is never again given the trust that I gave him, as my punishment for his crime is worse than any punishment he could ever be given.”

Members of Edwards’ family have repeatedly claimed his innocence.