Chichester man sentenced for manslaughter of his two year old son has sentence increased

A man from Chichester who was sentenced for the manslaughter of his two year old son has had his sentence increased, the Court of Appeal have confirmed.

Matthew Banks, from Chichester, forcefully shook his two-year-old son causing injuries which later led to his death, a Sussex Police spokesperson said.

Banks, pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter when he appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Monday, August 22.

Banks, then 34, was jailed for three years and eight months in October 2022 after admitting causing the death of Leo Banks.

Winchester Crown Court previously heard Banks had “forcefully” shaken his four-week old son in December 2017, causing a “constellation of serious injuries” before his death 26 months later.

The charge, authorised by the CPS, followed an investigation by officers from the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit into the death of two-year-old Leo Banks.

Banks’ sentence was referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme by the Solicitor General.

On Thursday, February 9 judges at the Court of Appeal in London increased Banks’ sentence to five years and four months.

In October, Sussex Police said Banks, 34, of Gilbert Road, was interviewed by officers in relation to his son’s injuries and admitted to shaking the baby ‘quite vigorously while looking after him during the night.

He told police Leo had been crying hysterically and seemed stressed during a feed, leading to Banks become tired and frustrated. Medical help wasn’t sought until the following morning, when Leo’s mother woke up and realised her son was poorly.

Speaking in October Investigating officer detective constable Owen Watkins said: “This is a heart-breaking case that resulted in the tragic and untimely death of an innocent two-year-old boy.

“Matthew Banks was one of the people trusted to look after and care for Leo, but instead his actions caused injuries that Leo was sadly unable to recover from.

“No sentence will ever change what has happened, but this case serves as a reminder to others that w e will fully investigate serious crimes such as this, and will hold those responsible to account.