Father confesses throwing infant on floor, alleged to cause death 14 years later
Lejaune Wood told the Old Bailey he threw his four-month-old son onto the floor in 2007, an act he says led to injuries that contributed to the boy’s death in 2021. He denies murder as the trial proceeds.
In a courtroom at the Old Bailey, Lejaune Wood, a 43-year-old hotel night-shift worker originally from Barbados and raised in Germany, recounted how he seized his four-month-old son LJ from his wife Paquita’s arms and hurled the child onto the floor in their Hayes home on 12 December 2007. The infant sustained a broken arm, fractured ribs, a skull fracture and brain bleeding, yet Wood waited two days before Paquita took him to Hillingdon Hospital.
LJ later died at age 14 on 6 December 2021, with prosecutors linking his death to the earlier injuries. Wood described overwhelming stress, sleeplessness and financial pressure as factors behind his violent outburst, but insisted he never meant to cause lasting harm and denies the murder charge. He said he tried to calm the baby after the incident and only sought medical help after his wife noticed a limp arm and head lump. The trial remains ongoing.
Why it matters
The case highlights how early childhood abuse can have fatal long-term consequences and raises questions about delayed medical care.
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