Life sentence for Houghton Regis man who killed baby and lied to cover his tracks

A man from Houghton Regis has been jailed for murdering a six-month-old baby after violently shaking him and lying to cover up what happened.

Archie Woodbridge was left in the sole care of Kieran Humphreys on 9 February 2024 at the home of friends Sam Wyatt and Karen Smith in Dolphin Drive, Houghton Regis.

During that time, Humphreys shook Archie violently, leaving him critically injured.

Instead of calling an ambulance immediately, Humphreys phoned his mother, Sharon Humphreys.

When Wyatt returned home, he contacted Smith, who was with Archie’s mother.
Archie was then taken to a relative’s home in Bromley Gardens, where an ambulance was finally called - around 90 minutes after the injuries occurred.

Paramedics alerted Bedfordshire Police just before 5.30pm. Archie was rushed to hospital but died later that evening.

Detectives discovered that all four adults lied to the police, claiming Archie had fallen ill whilst with his mother at Bromley Gardens and that emergency services were called straight away.

Evidence revealed Archie suffered a fatal brain injury and fractured ribs from being violently shaken.

Today (Wednesday), Kieran Humphreys, 33, of Bromley Gardens, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering a child under one, child cruelty, and perverting the course of justice. He will have to serve 21 years before he is considered for parole.

Sam Wyatt, 34, and Karen Smith, 40, both of Dolphin Drive, along with Sharon Humphreys, 59, of Bromley Gardens, admitted to conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Wyatt has been sentenced to one year and three months in prison, Smith has been jailed for one year and Humphreys received nine months.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: “Our thoughts remain with Archie’s family at this time.

“This was a truly shocking and senseless act of violence against a defenceless baby.

“Humphreys’ actions, and the subsequent lies told by those involved, were utterly callous and compounded the family’s grief.

“Cases like this remind us all of the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society.”