A father has been found guilty of murdering his 13-day-old son after shaking him so violently he suffered 'catastrophic and irreversible' brain damage – and some of the worst injuries medics had ever seen.

Daniel Sanzone, 23, inflicted fatal injuries on Joshua Millinson after shaking him at the family home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, on October 24 last year.

After the attack, Sanzone immediately lied about what had happened, telling the child's mother, Zoe Howell, that a thud she had heard while out of the room had been caused when he 'dropped the remote'.

Throughout the three-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Sanzone sat in the dock with his head down and declined to give evidence.

During the trial the jury heard the horrifying 999 call made by Howell during which Sanzone told an audibly worried and frustrated call-handler to wait 'two minutes' when he was instructed to start CPR.

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Daniel Sanzone, 23, (left) inflicted fatal injuries on his baby son Joshua Millinson (right) after shaking him at the family home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, on October 24 last year

Miss Howell, who had denied causing or allowing the death of her only child, was cleared of any wrongdoing.

She told police after the attack: 'I can't believe the dad has done it.'

The 19-year-old, who had clutched a teddy as she sat in the dock throughout the trial, often in tears, had told the court her partner could 'sometimes be a bit rough', but that she had never seen him hurt the boy.

Jurors heard, during the opening of the case by the Crown's QC Sally Howes, that medical experts had concluded Joshua 'sustained catastrophic and irreversible damage to the brain and brain stem'.

Ms Howes added: 'It appears that there is little challenge to the medical, pathological and expert evidence that Joshua died as a result of deliberately inflicted injuries, causing a catastrophic collapse on October 24 and his death on November 21.'

Post-mortem examinations also revealed a catalogue of older fractures to the baby's lower legs and rib cage, which doctors said were consistent with 'twisting', 'squeezing' and 'being gripped forcibly'.

Jurors were told that Joshua was a normal healthy baby when he was born on October 11, 2015 at 39 weeks.

During a routine medical exam four days later, a doctor described the infant as 'active and alert'.

He was taken to hospital after being shaken vigorously by his father but died in hospital four weeks later.

A recording of the 999 call was played to the jury in which a panicked Howell can be heard repeating over and over again that Joshua was 'not breathing'.

Daniel Sanzone, 23 (pictured with Zoe Howell), inflicted fatal injuries on Joshua Millinson after shaking him at the family home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, on October 24 last year

The living room of Sanzone's property in Wolverhampton where he shook Joshua to death

She also told the call-handler she 'did not want to go over' to the baby when she was asked to check if he was 'definitely' not breathing.

The clearly frustrated handler then said: 'You have a two-week-old that is not breathing; go next to the patient now!

'If the patient is not breathing, you need to start doing CPR'.

At this point, Sanzone can be heard taking over, saying 'two minutes' to the clearly shocked call-taker.

The operator added: 'You need to do this now. You have not got time for 'two minutes'.'

Earlier in the trial, consultant neuropathologist Daniel Du Plessis, from Salford Royal Hospital, told the court the entirety of the baby's brain had suffered injury.

He described the brain damage as being 'at the most extreme end of the spectrum in his experience'.

Dr Du Plessis told the court: 'No part of his brain was spared injury.

'These were devastating, severe and irreversible injuries incompatible with survival due to some episode where the brain was deprived of blood and oxygen supply.

'It was the period where there was insufficient or no supply to his brain that led to this damage.

'If you look at the whole picture he stopped breathing and his heart stopped because of a traumatic injury on the brain and spine which led to a cardiac arrest which led to brain damage.'

Zoe Howell, 19, (pictured outside court) was cleared of allowing the death of her baby Joshua

Miss Howell appears under her hood clutching a teddy bear outside Birmingham Crown Court

Sanzone, who was also found guilty of child cruelty, will be sentenced on Thursday.

Adjourning the case, Mr Justice Jay told the court: 'I am not proceeding immediately to sentence. In a case of this sort I need to reflect coolly and dispassionately.'

Jurors deliberated over three days before acquitting Miss Howell of causing or allowing death, and unanimously convicting Sanzone of both counts which he had denied.

The trial heard Sanzone and Howell had been in a relationship for 18 months at the time of Joshua's assault, but had been 'taking a break' although they were still living together.

Detective Inspector Jim Munro said: 'This is a tragic case. Joshua was a totally vulnerable newborn child requiring complete love and care.

'It is horrifying to think of the violence and suffering he must have endured in his short life by a father who was supposed to look after and protect him.