Thomas Morgan (Image: South Wales Police)
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Thomas Morgan, 29, from Gorseinon, Swansea, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of five-month-old Jensen-Lee Dougal, who suffered injuries described by experts as the worst they had ever seen.
The attack
Morgan was left alone with Jensen-Lee at the family home in Clydach, Swansea, on 30 March 2024, while the baby’s mother, Jordan Dougal, went to work. The baby suffered “catastrophic” injuries to his brain, spine and eyes after being violently shaken by Morgan.
Swansea Crown Court heard that after dropping Jordan Dougal at work and returning his own children, Morgan became embroiled in an increasingly heated row over WhatsApp with the mother of his children. The exchange of 82 abusive messages lasted around 90 minutes.
The judge, Mrs Justice Stacey, told Morgan: “It began as you were driving home with Jensen-Lee asleep in his car seat and continued for 90 minutes. I am sure that the message exchange of 82 abusive messages between you made you angry and annoyed.”
Jensen-Lee’s family will never know what happened between the time Morgan arrived home at 4.30pm and the time he first called Jordan Dougal at 5.20pm. The judge said: “We have no way of knowing exactly what happened as you have lied to the police and to everyone that you have spoken to since.”
Morgan’s false account
Morgan claimed throughout the trial, and until his eventual arrest in July 2025, that the injuries were caused as he tried to save the baby from choking to death. He said he feared Jensen-Lee was choking on his own sick, put his fingers in the baby’s mouth, and “shook him” when his body seemed limp.
He attended Jensen-Lee’s funeral and cremation on 24 May 2024. He was not arrested on suspicion of causing the injuries until July 2025 – some 15 months after the baby’s death.
Expert evidence
Expert witnesses dismissed Morgan’s defence. Professor Stavros Stivaros, from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, said anybody witnessing such a violent attack on a baby “would have crossed a street to stop it happening.”
He said Jensen-Lee would have been rendered unconscious almost immediately by the severity of the shaking, and that the injuries could never have been caused by rough play or an attempt at resuscitation.
Mrs Justice Stacey described how the violent shaking, with Jensen-Lee’s head moving back and forward quickly, may have been very brief but was hard enough to cause extensive internal head injuries that led to his death.
Jensen-Lee’s injuries
The court heard the baby, who weighed just 12 and a half pounds, suffered a subdural bleed, hypoxic ischaemic injury and extensive retinal damage. He also had fractures to his elbow and both ankles, consistent with flailing limbs during a shaking incident.
Jensen-Lee was taken to University Hospital Wales in Cardiff, where he suffered a cardiac arrest. He died on 31 March 2024 in his mother’s arms.
Jordan Dougal explained to the court why she made the decision to switch off her son’s life support. She said: “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.”
Background
Morgan had started a relationship with Jordan Dougal in December 2023 and moved into the family home in January 2024. He was regarded as Jensen-Lee’s stepfather.
Dougal told the court her son was “a really happy baby” and that she “never had any issues” with Morgan caring for her son, adding she thought she had found their family.
Victim impact
Jordan Dougal was supported by a family member as she read her victim impact statement. She said Jensen-Lee “was a baby who loved being sung to, being cuddled by his mammy and his nanny and bampy.”
She told the court: “I never heard my child say he loved me, call me mammy, take his first steps or start school.”
The court also heard that Morgan had announced the gender of his new partner’s baby on the anniversary of Jensen-Lee’s death.
Sentencing
Morgan was found guilty of murder at Swansea Crown Court and sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years and 136 days before he can apply for parole, taking into account time spent on remand.
Mrs Justice Stacey told Morgan he had murdered an “utterly defenceless baby.”
Statements following sentencing
Following the sentencing, Jensen-Lee’s mother, Jordan, said:
“Jensen-Lee was just five months old when his life was taken. He was completely innocent and entirely dependent on the adults around him to keep him safe.
“Since Jensen-Lee’s death, my life has been permanently changed. I live with overwhelming grief, trauma and emotional pain.
“I never had the chance to hear Jensen-Lee say he loved me. I will never hear him call me ‘mammy’. I will never see him take his first steps, speak his first words, start school, or grow into the person he was meant to be. Those moments were not just lost – they were taken.
“Due to what Thomas Morgan did, I have also received a life sentence, but mine is one of grief.
“Jensen-Lee will never be forgotten. I love you, Jensen-Lee.”
Detective Chief Inspector Lianne Rees said:
“With today’s sentencing, we finally have justice for the terrible crime carried out by Thomas Morgan upon a defenceless baby boy.
“Thomas Morgan may now finally and rightfully be going to prison, but this will do little to alleviate the grief experienced by Jensen-Lee’s family, and especially his mother Jordan, who placed her trust into her then-partner Thomas Morgan to take care of Jensen-Lee, only to experience the ultimate betrayal.
“I want to pay tribute to the members of the public, first responders and everyone involved in the desperate efforts to save Jensen-Lee’s life, when faced with the most unimaginable and tragic circumstances back in March 2024. I also want to acknowledge the incredible dignity and strength shown by Jensen-Lee’s family throughout this painful journey.
“Lastly, I would like to thank the investigation team, Crown Prosecution Service and Prosecution Counsel for their continued hard work throughout what has been a very difficult investigation and trial.”
NSPCC Cymru assistant director Carl Harris said: “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.
“It is a sad reality that babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to abuse because they are completely dependent on the adults around them for care and protection.”
