Hotel worker 'bludgeoned one-year-old son to death wrongly believing his partner was cheating on him'

Bidhya Sagar Das admitted manslaughter and attempted murder
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A hotel receptionist bludgeoned to death his one-year-old son with a hammer after wrongly believing his partner was cheating on him, a court heard.

Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, inflicted devastating head injuries on baby Gabriel Bibekdas Sonu after promising partner Christinela Datcu they would have a "special night" together.

He waited until Ms Datcu was in the shower before carrying out the horrific hammer attack, leaving baby Gabriel with devastating head injuries.

The young boy, just one year and 132 days old, died shortly after arriving at hospital.

Bangladesh-born Das, a hotel receptionist in Finsbury Park, fled from the home and left his partner to discover her fatally injured son covered in blood.

The Old Bailey heard Das, a regular cannabis smoker, had become obsessed with the thought that Ms Datcu was sleeping with other men behind his back.

He told his boss at the Central Park Hotel that "his wife was being unfaithful to him", believing she was having sex in their bed while he was at work.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC said the claims were "completely unfounded", but Das started leaving a phone in the bedroom to record his partner's movements, and repeatedly checked up on her when he was at work.

He also reported his partner to social services, and when asked if he loved his son Gabriel, he replied: "Too much, too much".

Ms Johnson said Das assaulted Ms Datcu at least three times before the hammer attack, adding: "Things got so bad that on the occasions when they spent the night together, he removed his shoe laces and tied Ms Datcu's underwear to his own, to ensure that she could not get up without him knowing".

The fatal hammer attack happened on March 18, after Das had given his partner a foot massage, telling her: "it's going to be a special night."

When Ms Datcu emerged from the shower, she found the bloody scene and realised Das had fled with her mobile phone.

Das was captured after a 20 hour manhunt.

He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter by diminished responsibility of his son and a second charge of attempted murder.

Mr Justice Spencer is due to pass sentence on Das tomorrow afternoon.

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