Woman jailed for toddler's manslaughter

Jaxon Syrett died in September 2020

A woman has been jailed for the manslaughter of an 18-month-old boy.

Shannon Driver, 27 and from Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, claimed Jaxon Syrett slipped in the shower in September 2020, but was convicted in January.

She will serve 12 years in prison and five years on licence.

Sentencing her at Hove Crown Court, Judge Mrs Justice Thornton KC told Driver she posed a “significant risk to members of the public of serious harm", adding: "You are a dangerous offender”.

The judge added that the "force applied to Jaxon would have been alarming to anyone watching".

Shannon Driver, 27, caused 18-month-old Jaxon Syrett devastating injury

Driver claimed Jaxon had slipped in the shower, but doctors found the boy, who died six days later, had suffered significant "non-accidental" injuries.

She called police to a property in London Road to report his injuries, after being left to look after him while his father was at work.

Justice Thornton told her: “You shook or threw an 18-month-old toddler so violently as to cause devastating injury."

In a statement issued at the time of Driver's conviction, Jaxon's family said: "The tragic loss of Jaxon has changed our lives forever. We will never see Jaxon's cheeky smile again, nor hear his infectious laugh and will miss every milestone Jaxon had to reach.

"We as a family hold and cherish every memory we have of Jaxon."

'Unimaginable loss'

Sussex Police investigator Dick Hemmings said: “No jail sentence can make up for the unimaginable loss felt by Jaxon’s family, and our thoughts remain with them as they have done throughout this investigation.

“I would like to thank them once again for the resilience they have shown in supporting this investigation, which was delayed multiple times during the court process.

“Shannon Driver has now faced justice for her crime. I hope this resolution allows Jaxon’s family the time, space and privacy to come to terms with their tragic loss.”

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