A woman jailed for shaking her partner's toddler to death had previously threatened to throw another child from a window, a court has heard.
Jaxon Surret was just 18 months old when he was shaken to death by Shannon Driver, who was looking after the tot while his dad, her partner, was at work. Lewes Crown Court heard police were scrambled to the child's home in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex in 2020 following reports a child was seriously injured at the property.
Driver, 27, had shaken the child so hard that he was left with horrific injuries, and he was placed on life support in hospital, which his heartbroken parents made the painful decision to switch off six days later. He suffered injuries consistent with being gripped tightly around the chest and shaken, swung, and being thrown or slammed into a hard surface.
The court heard she was already subject to a family court order which meant she was only allowed supervised contact with her own son. She could not be left alone with any other children after threatening to throw one young boy from a window.
When police arrived at the address following reports Jaxon was hurt, she was quizzed by officers about what had happened and claimed he had fallen in the shower. A post-mortem later confirmed he suffered significant non-accidental injuries that suggested inflicted trauma.
Driver was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of manslaughter, with Jaxon's bereaved family telling the court of the hole she has left in their lives. They remembered the tot's "cheeky smile" and thanked people for their support.
The 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.
"Jaxon had his whole life ahead of him. We as a family hold and cherish every memory we have of Jaxon. We would like to thank everyone who has been involved with this investigation, and in getting a conviction and some kind of justice for our baby. The support we’ve been given in such devastating circumstances has been so appreciated."