A 'frustrated' and 'angry' father has admitted killing his baby son who died from a traumatic head injury after being violently shaken.
Peter Sayle, 32, was accused of murdering six-week-old Huxley Sayle by deliberately inflicting serious injuries at the family home in Preston in June 2022, though denied responsibility for the death for more than three and a half years.
Sayle today entered a guilty plea at Preston Crown Court to the offence of manslaughter which was deemed acceptable to prosecutors.
Police had found internet searches on his devices for phrases such as 'tips to deal with frustration and anger'.
Huxley was rushed to hospital in the early hours of June 14 after his mother Livinia Sharples dialled 999 and told the operator her son was not breathing, a court heard.
A CT head scan at Royal Preston Hospital revealed unexplained bleeding in different parts of Huxley's brain which raised suspicions of a shaking-type injury.
The boy was transferred to the intensive care unit at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, with a review of the scan indicating the injuries would have resulted in immediate symptoms.
Huxley never regained consciousness and treatment was withdrawn on July 14 2022, Preston Crown Court was told.
A post-mortem examination ruled the cause of death was a 'traumatic head injury' as the pathologist thought Huxley was forcefully gripped or squeezed around the chest during an episode of violent shaking.
Jurors were also told that police seized digital devices from the family address in Squires Wood, Fulwood in Lancashire.
They discovered internet searches conducted shortly after the infant's birth including 'baby crying makes me angry dad', 'I'm getting so angry when baby won't sleep' and 'tips to deal with frustration and anger'.
Sayle was arrested at his home on June 17 2022 but denied any wrongdoing when interviewed by police.
He insisted injuries caused would have been a result of him performing CPR on Huxley.
On June 22 2022 and having reviewed the results of a CT scan, medical experts at the children's hospital concluded Huxley had suffered a number of skull and brain injuries.
The author of the report indicated that those injuries would have resulted in immediate symptoms and were consistent with Huxley having been violently shaken.
On July 22 2022 - and with more evidence available indicting that Huxley had come to deliberate harm - Sayle was rearrested on suspicion of murder, though again denied wrongdoing.
A Home Office postmortem examined later established that Huxley's cause of death was traumatic head injury and that no natural disease had caused his traumatic collapse.
Dr Alison Armour also concluded that the two rib fractures Huxley had suffered were inconsistent with having been caused by CPR.
She said they were more likely caused while he was forcefully gripped or squeezed around the chest during an episode of vigorous shaking.
Sayle was interviewed for the final time on March 27, 2025 and denied forcibly shaking Huxley and said he had done nothing to cause his son's collapse.
Following today's guilty plea to manslaughter, Det Chief Insp Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Constabulary's major investigation team, 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.'
Sayle is due to be sentenced this Thursday 12 February.