Father admits killing baby after shaking his six-week-old son
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter
Last updated 9th Feb 2026
A man has admitted to killing his son in Fulwood, pleading guilty to manslaughter, after shaking the six-week-old baby in 2022.
On 14th June 2022, emergency services were called to Squires Wood after reports that a six-week-old baby had sustained a head injury and was unresponsive.
The baby, Huxley Sayle, died after injuries proved too severe.
His treatment was withdrawn a month after he was first brought to hospital.
His father, Peter Sayle, was initially arrested on 17th June 2022 under suspicion of Section 18 Wounding.
He was later charged with murder after further evidence emerged, including skull and brain injuries consistent with violent shaking.
Medical experts concluded that the injuries were deliberate and the Home Office postmortem confirmed traumatic head injury as the cause of death.
Sayle repeatedly denied wrongdoing during police interviews but further evidence, including suspicious web searches, contradicted his claims.
An examination of Sayle’s phone, found web searches including: “tips to deal with frustration and anger”, “baby crying makes me angry dad”, and “I’m getting so angry when baby won’t sleep”.
The prosecution accepted Sayle's guilty plea to manslaughter on the fifth day of his trial.
He will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on 12th February.
DCI Andy Fallows, from Lancashire police said: “I welcome today’s manslaughter plea put forward by Peter Sayle. After three and a half years of denials he has finally admitted that he is responsible for assaulting and causing baby Huxley’s death.
“While this has been a particularly sensitive and challenging case, my investigation team’s relentless focus has always been on achieving justice for baby Huxley. Today we have managed to achieve that.”