Life Sentence Handed Down in Infanticide Case
Thomas Morgan, 29, from Gorseinon, Swansea, faces life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years for murdering his girlfriend’s five-month-old baby in a violent shaking attack. The infant, Jensen-Lee Dougal, sustained catastrophic injuries to his brain, spine, and eyes on March 30, 2024, while his mother, Jordan Dougal, was at work.
The Tragic Incident
Morgan, who had moved into the family home in Clydach, Swansea, in January 2024 after beginning a relationship with Dougal in December 2023, was alone with Jensen-Lee that afternoon. He claimed the baby choked on vomit, prompting him to insert fingers into the infant’s mouth and shake him vigorously when the child went limp. Experts rejected this account, describing the injuries as the most severe they had encountered.
Professor Stavros Stivaros from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital testified that the shaking rendered Jensen-Lee unconscious almost instantly. He emphasized that such violence would prompt any bystander to intervene immediately, ruling out rough play or resuscitation attempts as causes. Additional findings included multiple fractures to the elbow and ankles, consistent with flailing during the assault, along with subdural bleeding, hypoxic ischaemic injury, and extensive retinal damage.
Jensen-Lee suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to University Hospital Wales in Cardiff. He passed away the next day, March 31, 2024, in his mother’s arms after Dougal made the heartbreaking decision to withdraw life support. She explained, “He would just be stuck to a machine for the rest of his life. I didn’t want to remember him like that when he was such a happy baby.”
The Trial and Defense
Swansea Crown Court jurors convicted Morgan of murder earlier this month following a four-week trial. He maintained his innocence until his arrest in July 2025, 15 months after the incident, even attending the baby’s funeral and cremation on May 24, 2024. Police interviewed family members as the extent of the injuries emerged, but delayed arrest until later.
Dougal described her son as “a really happy baby” who loved cuddles and songs, with no prior concerns about Morgan’s caregiving. She believed she had found stability for their family.
Victim Impact and Sentencing
In a poignant victim impact statement, Dougal shared her enduring pain: “I have been given a life sentence of grief.” She lamented never hearing her son say “mammy,” take first steps, or start school, and described daily life as impossible amid overwhelming trauma. She noted Morgan showed no genuine remorse, continuing normally while she suffered.
Mrs Justice Stacey, during sentencing, highlighted the rage-fueled context: Morgan exchanged 82 abusive WhatsApp messages with his children’s mother for 90 minutes after dropping Dougal at work and returning home with Jensen-Lee asleep in his car seat. The judge stated, “You murdered an utterly defenceless baby who weighed just 12 and a half pounds.” She adjusted the minimum term to 18 years and 136 days, accounting for remand time, and noted the family would never know exactly what transpired between 4:30 p.m. and his 5:20 p.m. call to Dougal, given his persistent lies.
Aftermath Statements
Carl Harris, assistant director of NSPCC Cymru, called it a brutal attack, stating, “It is heart-breaking to think about what Jensen-Lee endured in his final moments, and our thoughts are with everyone who knew and loved him during his short life.” He underscored the vulnerability of infants dependent on adults for protection.
