Drug addicted father, 31, who violently shook his baby son to death while his partner was out is convicted of murder – as mother is found guilty of child cruelty

• Reece Kelly, 31, was found guilty of murdering his four-month-old son, Dallas
• The ‘monster’ murdered the baby by ‘shaking’ him in Workington, Cumbria

A cruel drug-addicted dad dubbed a ‘monster’ and ‘ticking time bomb’ has been found guilty of murdering his four-month-old baby son.

Carlisle Crown Court heard Reece Kelly, 31, was left in sole charge of Dallas Kelly after his partner, Georgia Wright — the boy’s mother — left their terraced home in Workington, Cumbria, and went to work just before 9am on 15th October, 2021.

At 12.22pm, Kelly called 999 and paramedics were on scene within minutes. They found Dallas clothed only in a nappy, lying on his back on the living room floor, and initially performed basic first aid in an ambulance.

Dallas was in cardiac arrest, pale, blue, floppy and not breathing properly. He was taken to hospital in Whitehaven and transported to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary where he tragically died on the evening of 19th October.

For many months, Kelly claimed he was not to blame for his baby’s death and was even called a ‘hero’ by unsuspecting Wright having attempted CPR.

Reece Kelly, 31, (pictured) was left in sole charge of Dallas Kelly and shook his son to death

Georgia Wright — the boy’s mother —  (pictured) left their terraced home in Workington, Cumbria, and went to work just before 9am on 15th October, 2021

He admitted manslaughter on the first day of his trial but remained firm in his plea of not guilty to murder.

During two weeks of evidence in front of a jury, harrowing details of Dallas’ catastrophic injuries emerged.

A pathologist concluded the cause of Dallas’s death was a traumatic head injury.

Tests in the aftermath also showed, the court heard, that Dallas had suffered five rib fractures in the time period covering the alleged intentional shaking.

There were eye and spinal injuries, a brain bleed and fingertip type bruises behind Dallas’s chest.

But medical experts concluded that Dallas’ devastating injuries were non-accidental with the likely cause being ‘forcible shaking’ — some only ever seen in the context of a high level multi-storey fall or fatal road crash.

Richard Littler KC had said, opening the case: ‘He used, the prosecution say, considerable and severe force towards Dallas; squeezing and gripping four-month-old Dallas when he picked him up, and forcefully and vigorously shook him, causing Dallas’s head on his neck to oscillate extensively, backwards and forwards, causing severe head injuries and ultimately death.’

Tests revealed Dallas had otherwise been a ‘perfectly well’ baby with no natural diseases which could have caused his death. 

There was, the jury heard, evidence of an additional rib fracture and brain injury caused weeks before the baby’s death.

Kelly was convicted of murder while Wright was cleared of a charge which alleged she caused or allowed Dallas’s death at Carlisle Crown Court

These, the prosecution alleged, had also been caused by Kelly and would, jurors heard, have left the tot significantly distressed.

In her evidence, when asked what she thought of Kelly after he had admitted unlawfully killing their child, Wright replied: ‘A monster.’

There were scores illegally-sourced prescription tablets and illicit substances in the house. Mr Littler said Kelly was also becoming ‘easily irritated’ in the days before Dallas’s death.

READ MORE – Child cruelty offences soared 25% in the last year with more than 26,000 cases of neglect or abuse 

After saying in one message to a third party ‘I need to get some money’, he was advised to ‘sell the crib’.

While Dallas lay fatally injured, Kelly continued to pursue his drug addiction.

‘Up until the 19th (October),’ said Mr Littler of other texts recovered, ‘Reece Kelly, you will see, is continuing to score dugs, basically. He is continuing to meet people to obtain money for drugs, continue his drug lifestyle while Dallas is in hospital.’

‘Reece Kelly placed himself and his addiction before anything else, including his own child in hospital,’ Mr Littler had said. ‘He was a ticking time bomb and he intended to cause really serious harm.

‘His drug use, his financial worries, his emotional state, meant he was liable to explode into violence and he did just that.’

Kelly was convicted of murder while Wright was cleared of a charge which alleged she caused or allowed Dallas’s death.

Both parents were convicted of cruelty to Dallas, who had not received adequate care, and had missed medical appointments and been exposed to harmful substances.

The pair are due to be sentenced later this month. Kelly, previously of Hunday Court, Workington, remains in custody and faces a life prison sentence.

Source: Read Full Article