A babysitter has been jailed for life for the murder of a 21-month-old girl in a brutal assault at his home. Sean Sadler, 32, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 20 years after a court heard he inflicted catastrophic head injuries and six broken ribs on Lilly Hanrahan before delaying seeking medical help for around three hours.
Sentencing Sadler at Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Saini described the attack as a 'brutal assault' and said the defendant had made 'shameful and cowardly' attempts to cover up his role in the toddler's death. The judge noted Sadler had shown no remorse and had engaged in 'subterfuge and trickery' to hide an earlier assault on Lilly a week before she died.
The court heard that Sadler, of Coriander Close, Northfield, Birmingham, began a relationship with Lilly's guardian in spring 2017 and became a regular visitor. The guardian had noticed bruises on Lilly and photographed them from September 2017, alerting the nursery. Sadler, who denied murder, claimed Lilly had fallen asleep after watching television and that he called an ambulance when he could not wake her. She died in hospital in November 2017, three days after the fatal collapse.
Sadler had four previous convictions for battery, including an attack where he struck a former partner with a dog chain and an assault outside a social club where he punched a woman in the face. Eight members of the jury that convicted him returned to see the sentence imposed.
