Step-Father Accused of Murdering Five-Month-Old Baby in Alleged Shaking Attack
A five-month-old baby boy, described as happy and healthy, allegedly suffered a fatal shaking-type injury at the hands of his enraged step-father, Swansea Crown Court has heard. Thomas Morgan, aged 29, stands accused of murdering Jensen-Lee Dougal in a fit of rage following a heated argument with his ex-partner in March 2024.
Catastrophic Injuries and Medical Evidence
The court was told that Jensen-Lee sustained catastrophic brain damage, multiple fractures, and extensive retinal bleeding in both eyes. He tragically passed away the following day in his mother's arms after life support was withdrawn. Expert medical testimony revealed that brain scans indicated a severe shaking injury that the infant could not have inflicted upon himself.
Professor Stavros Stivaros, lead consultant paediatric neuroradiologist at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, provided a stark assessment to the jury. He stated, It is the sort of shaking injury that, if we saw somebody doing that to someone on the other side of the road, you would cross over to intervene because of its severity. This pattern of injuries is in keeping with inflicted injury.
Alleged Circumstances Leading to the Tragedy
Prosecutors allege that Morgan shook Jensen-Lee whilst angry and in temper while caring for him at the family home in Clydach, Swansea. The incident is said to have occurred after a furious row between Morgan and the mother of his two children, Georgia Griffiths. Morgan reportedly sent a series of angry and abusive text messages, calling her derogatory names, which prosecutors claim flipped some kind of switch, leaving him in an aggressive state unfit to look after a child.
Caroline Rees, prosecuting, told the court, With his temper raised and his fuse short, his temper must have snapped and he shook Jensen-Lee with such violence that he caused the devastating injuries that led to Jensen-Lee dying in his mother's arms.
Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
Jensen-Lee's mother, Jordan Dougal, aged 24, gave emotional evidence, describing how she left her smiling son with Morgan when she went to work a shift at a village pub. She recounted giving her son a final kiss, unaware it would be their last. Upon seeing a missed call from Morgan, she learned he was freaking out because Jensen-Lee had stopped breathing.
Ms Dougal testified that she repeatedly urged Morgan to call an ambulance, but he instead took the baby to a neighbour for help. She said, I told him to ring an ambulance, like why was he speaking to me he should be ringing an ambulance? I hung up I rung an ambulance like five times. Weeping in court, she described the agonising decision to turn off life support, stating, I didn't want to remember him like that when he was such a happy baby. She hugged her son as he died in her arms.
Legal Proceedings and Defence
The relationship between Ms Dougal and Morgan reportedly ended about two months after Jensen-Lee's death, with Ms Dougal noting it became strained as soon as my son died. Thomas Morgan, of Gorseinon, denies charges of murder and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He told police that he had left to fetch a change of clothes for Jensen-Lee and returned to find him limp.
The trial, presided over by Mrs Justice Stacey, is expected to last four weeks and continues at Swansea Crown Court.
