BRIAN SAUNDERS FROM TORPOINT SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC BABY MURDER IN DEVON

In March 2009, a tragic and disturbing case unfolded involving the brutal killing of a five-week-old baby boy named Rilee Saunders in the town of Torpoint, located in Devon. The perpetrator, Brian Martyn Saunders, was sentenced to life imprisonment after a court found him guilty of the infant’s murder, a crime that shocked the local community and drew widespread condemnation.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Saunders, aged 31 at the time, had a troubling history of violence and child cruelty. The judge, the Hon Mr Justice Burnett, described the violence inflicted upon Rilee as “horrific,” emphasizing the brutality of the attack. It was established that Saunders had violently shaken the baby, swung him around by one leg, and then forcefully slammed him onto a hard surface, actions likened to the impact of a car crash. The severity of the injuries was so extreme that medical experts compared them to injuries caused by falls from significant heights or high-speed car accidents.

Despite Saunders’s prior conviction for child cruelty in 2005, which involved fracturing the skull of his daughter from a different relationship, child protection teams failed to monitor Rilee adequately. This oversight was highlighted during the trial, raising questions about the effectiveness of safeguarding measures in place at the time. The court also disclosed that Saunders had previously fractured his eight-week-old daughter’s skull in 2004 under remarkably similar circumstances. Initially denying any knowledge of the injury, Saunders later admitted to causing harm, claiming it was an accident. He was charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm, but ultimately pleaded guilty to child cruelty after the court accepted that he had failed to provide necessary information for medical treatment.

Rilee’s mother, Alicia Clark, who was only 20 years old at the time, expressed her grief and sense of justice following the sentencing. She stated, “The time that Brian will serve will never make up for my little boy’s life, but Rilee has got justice and can rest in peace.”

On the day of the murder, March 3, 2008, Saunders inflicted fatal injuries on Rilee between 11 am and 2:30 pm. The baby was rushed to a specialist children’s hospital in Bristol, but despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries four days later, with life-support systems being turned off. The injuries sustained by Rilee included a fractured skull, severe brain damage, and internal bleeding, injuries that medical experts testified could have resulted from being dropped from a first-floor window or involved in a serious car accident.

Throughout the trial, it was revealed that Saunders had a history of violent behavior. Court records showed that he had previously assaulted his then-partner in 1999, throwing her onto a sofa and dragging her by the neck. The judge also noted that Saunders had a pattern of manipulative and domineering behavior, describing him as self-centered, demanding, and calculating. The court painted a picture of a man who posed a “grave danger” to any child or woman he was involved with.

Judge Burnett addressed Saunders directly, stating, “It is clear that in the relationship you were manipulative and domineering. There is no doubt that you have a foul temper and resort to violence all too readily. You are self-centred, demanding of attention, manipulative but also calculating and cunning.”

The judge further explained that the case was markedly different from situations where infants cry excessively, causing parental frustration. Rilee, he said, was a “good baby,” who was not crying or being noisy at the time of the attack. The court considered the circumstances, noting that Alicia was asleep nearby and would have woken if Rilee had been crying. This raised the question of what triggered Saunders’s violent outburst, with the judge suggesting that a moment of anger, possibly linked to the recent Mothering Sunday, led to the tragic assault.

The impact on Alicia and her family was described as devastating. Despite the horror of the case, she had managed to cope with accusations suggesting she might have been responsible for Rilee’s death, as only she and Saunders were present in the flat at the time. The court highlighted the aggravating factors, including the baby’s young age, Saunders’s breach of trust, and the extreme violence used. Although it was not clear whether Saunders intended to kill Rilee, the level of brutality indicated a reckless indifference to the child’s life and injuries.

As a result, Saunders was sentenced to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison, with 228 days already deducted for time spent on remand. He will be eligible for parole after serving this period, but the case remains a stark reminder of the tragic consequences of unchecked violence and neglect in child care.