Overview
- Sayle, 32, entered the manslaughter plea on February 9 at Preston Crown Court, which prosecutors accepted in place of a murder charge.
- Emergency services responded on June 14, 2022, with Huxley transferred from Royal Preston Hospital to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, and treatment withdrawn on July 14.
- Medical specialists concluded Huxley sustained multiple skull and brain injuries consistent with violent shaking, with rib fractures judged inconsistent with CPR by Dr Alison Armour.
- Police first arrested Sayle on June 17, 2022, on suspicion of Section 18 wounding, later re-arresting him on suspicion of murder as evidence developed, though he repeatedly denied wrongdoing and cited CPR.
- A forensic review of Sayle’s phone found searches about anger and distress over a crying baby, which police cited as contextual evidence, and DCI Andy Fallows publicly welcomed the plea.