A MAN who shook and battered to death a 21-month-old girl left in his care has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sean Sadler, of Coriander Close in Rubery, was found guilty of murdering Lilly Hanrahan at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday, March 24.
He was sentenced at that court today, with the judge handing down a life sentence of which he must serve at least 20 years.
Lilly Hanrahan, aged 21 months, was beaten to death by her babysitterLittle Lilly was just 21 months old when she was rushed to hospital with a catastrophic head injury and six broken ribs in November 2017, the court heard.
Although surgeons battled to save her, her injuries were unsurvivable and her life support was withdrawn three days later.
Grandmother Lesley Hanrahan looked after Lilly for four months after she was born in February 2016 as her daughter was unable to care for the newborn herself.
Lilly was later placed with a legal guardian
In early 2017 the guardian began a relationship with Sean Sadler and he became a regular visitor to their home, often staying overnight, the court heard.
It wasn’t long before the guardian began to notice bruises on Lilly and began photographing them.
On the afternoon of Sunday, November 19, 2017 Lilly was left in Sadler’s care while the guardian went out.
Sadler, who denied murder, alleged that Lilly went to sleep on the settee, but sometime later she would not wake when he tried to rouse her, so he called an ambulance.
Lilly Hanrahan loved to dance and laughAt hospital the extent of Lilly’s injuries became apparent when bruising was found on her scalp under her hair, and following her death extensive post mortem examinations revealed the head injury which killed her and six broken ribs.
Experts believed these were non-accidental and the likely cause was that Lilly had been violently shaken and thrown against a soft surface, such as the armrest of a settee.
The court hearing further revealed that this was not the only abuse Lilly had suffered.
It emerged that she had three fractured vertebrae in her spine and bleeding in her lungs which had happened some two to three weeks previously.
Sean Sadler was sentenced to life imprisonment todaySadler was arrested and ultimately charged with Lilly’s murder and wounding.
During his trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury heard from expert witnesses who testified that they found multiple sites of recent and healing injuries on Lilly’s small body.
They found a total of 40 injuries, including 20 to her head and neck and the rest to her body and limbs.
A serious case review has been carried out into Lilly's death, which is expected to be published in June.
