Walsall father jailed for murdering five-week-old daughter
Extended violence led to catastrophic injuries and tragic death
A father from Walsall has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of his five-week-old daughter after subjecting her to extreme and repeated physical abuse.
Sean Jefferson, aged 35, was convicted of murdering his baby daughter Darcy, and for two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after an eight-week trial at Stafford Crown Court.
The child's mother, Amy Leigh Clark, 34, from Lichfield, was handed a seven-year sentence for causing or allowing Darcy's death, and two charges of causing or allowing serious physical harm.
Emergency services were called to their home in Burntwood on Mother’s Day, 27th March 2022, after Darcy collapsed. Jefferson and Clark were arrested the following day, and Darcy succumbed to her injuries in hospital on 29th March 2022.
Staffordshire Police's Major Investigations Department, in collaboration with the Crown Prosecution Service, pursued a complex investigation which resulted in both parents being charged in May 2025.
The investigation unveiled that Darcy died from a catastrophic head injury, part of a sustained campaign of violence over her short lifetime. Evidence revealed she had suffered 47 fractured ribs and leg fractures indicative of deliberate harm on multiple occasions.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Fitzgerald, of our Major Investigations Department, said: “This was sustained and merciless abuse of a defenceless baby by the very people who were meant to protect her. Darcy was violently assaulted again and again.
“Her father murdered her. Her mother allowed the abuse to continue until it killed her. Their actions represent an appalling betrayal of parental responsibility. Jefferson will now spend a significant part of his life in prison, but no sentence can ever reflect the cruelty inflicted on Darcy or repair the devastation left behind.
“Our thoughts remain with her elder sibling.
“I want to recognise the professionalism, determination and resilience of the officers and staff who worked tirelessly to secure justice for Darcy, alongside the CPS prosecutor and prosecution barristers, Harpreet Sandhu KC and Joshua Purser.”