My baby's murder was evilness unmatched, says mum

Saskia Woodbridge said Archie would always be cherished

A 20-year-old woman whose baby son was murdered by her new boyfriend has described what happened as "evilness that is unmatched".

Unemployed Kieran Humphreys, 33, of Bromley Gardens, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, is waiting to be sentenced after a jury found him guilty of murdering six-month-old Archie Woodbridge.

Jurors at Luton Crown Court heard how Humphreys had begun a relationship with Archie's mother, Saskia Woodbridge, about a week before the boy died.

After Humphreys's trial ended, Miss Woodbridge, 19 when her son was killed on 9 February 2024, said: "Kieran ripped Archie from this world, in an evilness that is unmatched."

Humphreys was found guilty of murder and child cruelty on Monday.

The judge who oversaw the trial has yet to set a sentencing date.

Mr Justice Morris said Humphreys would get a mandatory life sentence and be told how many years he must spend in jail before parole could be considered.

Humphreys had admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice but he had denied unlawfully killing Archie, and entered not guilty pleas to murder, manslaughter and child cruelty.

Kieran Humphreys is waiting to be sentenced after being found guilty of murdering baby Archie

Jurors heard that Miss Woodbridge's relationship with Archie's father had ended before she met Humphreys.

They were told that Miss Woodbridge had left Archie alone with Humphreys while she visited a nail salon.

Barrister Charlotte Newell KC, prosecuting, told the trial that Humphreys appeared to have killed Archie, who was teething, after losing his temper.

Evidence showed the baby had been "gripped and shaken" and suffered a fatal brain injury while in the "sole care" of Humphreys, she told jurors.

Humphreys had been "awake throughout the night" playing a video game on Xbox, she said.

'Loved and cherished'

In a statement released by Bedfordshire Police, Miss Woodbridge told how Archie had been born two months early.

"Kieran claimed to love Archie, but his actions were the opposite," she said.

"Kieran ripped Archie from this world, in an evilness that is unmatched."

She added: "All my life, all I ever wanted – more than anything – was to become a mum. Archie gave me this wish – he made me a mum.

"Kieran has taken away the most precious thing in my world. I once told Kieran that I couldn't imagine losing a child.

"Through his actions, and his actions alone, he has ensured that I now know the agony of this."

She went on: "Archie was a real boy who had birthdays to come, milestones to reach and people to cheer him on and watch him as he grew. He was, is and always will be loved and cherished. No-one can take that away."

Prosecutors said Archie was injured at a house in Dolphin Drive before he was moved

Miss Newell told jurors Humphreys had been alone with Archie at the home of friends in Dolphin Drive, Houghton Regis, and he had been injured there and then moved.

Humphreys had not immediately called 999, Miss Newell said.

He, his friend Karen Smith and Ms Woodbridge had instead taken him to the home of a relative, who also lived in Bromley Gardens.

Jurors were told how a 999 call was made, directing paramedics to the relative's house.

Footage showed Ms Woodbridge calling 999 and Humphreys, his mother Sharon Humphreys and Ms Smith trying to help Archie.

Paramedics were then seen arriving, spending several minutes attending to Archie and then carrying him out of the house.

Ms Woodbridge told police that Humphreys, his mother and Smith "made her lie about what happened and when", jurors heard.

She had said they put pressure on her "not to place Kieran" in "sole charge of Archie".

The court heard that Smith, 40, of Dolphin Drive; her partner, Sam Wyatt, 36, of Dolphin Drive; and Sharon Humphreys, 59, of Bromley Gardens had also admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Justice Morris indicated that Humphreys and his three co-defendants would be sentenced together.