This is the chilling moment a remorseless killer smirked and lied to police officers just hours after shaking his teenage girlfriend's newborn baby to death in a fit of rage. Kieran Humphreys, aged 33, fed investigating officers a callous and entirely fabricated story about desperately trying to save the infant, when in reality he had inflicted fatal injuries through violent shaking.
A Life Sentence for a Heinous Crime
Humphreys, of Houghton Regis, was subsequently jailed for life for the murder of six-month-old Archie Woodbridge in February 2024. The court heard he had been left in sole charge of the baby's care at a friend's house on Dolphin Drive. Archie's mother, Saskia Woodbridge, had only met Humphreys a week earlier and had left her son with him while she attended a nail appointment.
A Web of Deceit Unravels
In her absence, Humphreys gripped and violently shook little Archie, causing catastrophic and unsurvivable brain injuries. Rather than immediately calling for emergency help, he waited a staggering 90 minutes. During this time, prosecutors revealed he was browsing Facebook, shopping for clothes online, and looking at potential holidays.
Police bodycam footage captured Humphreys on a roadside, taking initial questions from officers. He repeated the same falsehoods he had just told paramedics. When one officer asked, 'Stupid question but how are you at the minute, are you alright?', Humphreys – who had just fatally injured baby Archie – replied with a laugh: 'Me? What do you mean? Nah I'm alright mate, I'm alright.'
He proceeded to joke with the officers, commenting on their height, before launching into a breathless, detailed narrative. He falsely claimed to have run down the road after a distressed call, finding Archie not breathing, turning white and cold. He even imitated the wheezing sounds he said the baby made as he performed CPR – a story the prosecution branded a complete pack of lies.
Justice Served for Archie
Paramedics were only summoned after Ms Woodbridge returned home. Critically injured Archie was moved to a relative's house before emergency services, who alerted Bedfordshire Police, arrived just before 5.30pm. The baby was rushed to hospital but died later that evening.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Mr Justice Morris noted that Humphreys had 'lavished attention' on Ms Woodbridge and her son, leading her to trust him with childcare. Shockingly, at the time of the offence, Humphreys was on bail for an unrelated allegation with a condition not to have unsupervised contact with children under 16.
Humphreys was convicted of murder and cruelty to a child. He continued to protest his innocence in police interviews, claiming, 'I ain't done nothing wrong. I would never hurt a child... All I did was try to save that boy.' Ms Woodbridge later revealed the truth, explaining Humphreys and others had pressured her to support the false story.
Co-Conspirators Face Consequences
The deception extended beyond Humphreys. The friends who owned the house, Sam Wyatt, 34, and Karen Smith, 40, along with Humphreys' mother, Sharon Humphreys, all gave false statements to authorities. They each admitted conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
At Luton Crown Court, Humphreys was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. Sharon Humphreys was jailed for nine months. Karen Smith received a 12-month prison sentence, and Sam Wyatt was sentenced to 15 months in jail.
A Heartbreaking Case
Shan Saunders from the Crown Prosecution Service stated: 'This is a heartbreaking case. Despite convincing Archie's mother that he cared for her little boy, Kieran Humphreys violently cut his life short. The jury found him guilty after we presented expert evidence showing Archie's injuries were most likely caused by Humphreys gripping him tightly and violently shaking him.'
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner added: '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.'
While Humphreys will spend decades behind bars, the justice served can never fill the void left by the loss of six-month-old Archie Woodbridge.
