A “volatile” father whose eight-week-old daughter was left profoundly disabled after he fractured her skull has been jailed for life with 17 years for her murder after she died from her injuries six years later.
Kyle Kitchen, 38, vigorously shook newborn Primrose Kane and either hit her with a hard object or threw her against a hard surface leaving her with life-changing injuries, the Old Bailey heard.
He was convicted of two offences of causing grievous bodily harm with intent following the attack at the family’s bedsit in Camden in 2014. Primrose’s mother Kenzey Kane, 31, was found guilty of causing or allowing serious injury to a child by failing to protect her daughter.
Primrose, who was placed in the care of her grandmother, suffered serious brain injuries and grew up entirely reliant on carers as she struggled with multiple neurodevelopmental delays, cerebral palsy, progressive deformities and drug-resistant epilepsy.
She was unable to communicate verbally and had to be fed through a tube before her death aged just six in 2021, the court heard.
Kitchen had previously appeared on Channel 5 documentary The Accused, which centred around Primrose’s mother.
He denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of Primrose’s murder last month after jurors deliberated for six hours and 24 minutes.
Over the course of the four-and-a-half week trial at the Old Bailey, the jury heard from medical experts who had concluded that the cause of Primrose’s death was aspiration pneumonia caused by profound neurological, postural and developmental disability caused by the traumatic head injury inflicted on her as an infant.
On Wednesday he was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 17 years. Less time already served for the assault on Primrose, he must now spend at least another seven years and eight months in prison before he is eligible for parole.
Mr Justice Murray said Primrose’s injuries were caused as a result of a single act of violence in a "moment of anger and frustration" lasting a few seconds, he said.
"Disastrously, those seconds led to Primrose's catastrophic injuries, led to years of disability and chronic pain and ultimately led to her death at the age of six years and eight months,” the judge added.
In mitigation, Jane Bickerstaff KC said Kitchen "loved that little girl" and her death was a "cross he will have to bear for the rest of his life".
She described his relationship with Primrose's mother as "toxic" but added: "There are many, many couples who for one reason or another are not as fit as society would like to parent a child - and yet they have children."
The trial heard that the parents’ relationship had been “frequently volatile” and Kitchen had been arrested and cautioned in September 2014, when Primrose was three weeks old, for slapping Kane while she was holding the infant.
The couple had been alone at the time Primrose was seriously injured on 3 November 2014, the court was told. Shortly before 6am, Kane called 111 to report that Primrose had gone "floppy" and would not wake up after making odd movements and sounds in the night.
During the call, Kitchen was allegedly heard saying that Primrose had blood around her nose and was not breathing.
Paramedics arrived within minutes and found the baby was unresponsive, jurors heard. She was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in north London where a scan revealed a skull fracture and serious brain injury.
Her parents provided no explanation for how it happened with Kane allegedly saying: "It's not like we knocked her or anything."
Primrose was transferred to an intensive care unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital where further tests confirmed her serious injuries and it became clear she would suffer "significant neuro-disability" in the long term.
Kirsty O’Connor, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “It is unimaginable to think how someone could be capable of hurting such a young and vulnerable baby. It is a parent’s duty to keep their children safe and Kyle Kitchen not only failed to do that, but violently robbed Primrose of her life.
“Kitchen was handed a 15-year sentence after he was successfully prosecuted for the assault on Primrose, but sadly when Primrose died that sentence no longer reflected the harm he had caused.
“The evidence was clear that Primrose ultimately died as a result of the injuries Kitchen inflicted on her and therefore prosecuting him for her murder was our only option.
“We are pleased with the sentence handed to Kitchen today – which now holds him accountable for Primrose’s premature death and the pain she endured during her short life.”
An NSPCC spokesperson added: “Primrose had a short and extremely difficult life, until dying in 2021.
“Everything she was forced to endure was directly as a result of the brutal attack she suffered at the hands of her father when she was only a few weeks old.
“Anyone with a concern about a child can contact our free and confidential helpline on 0808 800 5000 or email: help@nspcc.org.uk. People should call the police on 999 if a child is in immediate danger.”
