COURTNEY BRYAN'S BRUTAL CRIMES IN NOTTINGHAM AND SHEFFIELD LEAD TO 20-YEAR SENTENCE
| Red Rose Database
Sheffield Nottingham Sexual Abuser
In a harrowing case that has shocked the communities of Nottingham and Sheffield, Courtney Bryan, aged 29, has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after being found guilty of the murder of his 11-week-old son, Amaraye, and the severe abuse of two other infants under his care.
According to court proceedings at Sheffield Crown Court, Bryan's violent outburst was triggered when he was awakened by the crying of Amaraye. In a fit of rage, Bryan violently shook the infant, applying such force that his ribs were fractured. The court was told that Bryan then squeezed the baby's ribs until they broke and subsequently hurled him across the living room, causing him to collide with a wall. The assault was so severe that it ultimately led to the child's death.
Following the attack, Bryan attempted to conceal the severity of Amaraye’s injuries. He lied to authorities, claiming he had taken the baby to the hospital, when in fact he had not. The court heard that Bryan’s actions were part of a pattern of cruelty towards young children, as he had previously been involved in two other incidents of severe abuse involving infants just months apart. Despite these earlier assaults, Bryan was not initially prosecuted for those injuries, as police investigations at the time did not lead to charges.
It was only after the tragic death of Amaraye last year that authorities revisited the case. When South Yorkshire Police reviewed the evidence from the earlier investigations, they found sufficient grounds to charge Bryan with the previous assaults. The court was informed that Bryan had blamed the injuries on the mothers, relatives, or babysitters, attempting to deflect responsibility for the harm he caused.
Mr. Justice Henriques, presiding over the case, condemned Bryan as a danger to children, describing him as a “most callous, self-centred and unprincipled individual.” He emphasized that no child should ever be placed in Bryan’s care again, underscoring the gravity of his crimes.
Details of Bryan’s relationship with Amaraye’s mother, Ginna Gobran, emerged during the trial. The pair had begun an affair in 2005 when Ginna was 19 and Bryan was 27. She resided with her parents in Sheffield, while Bryan traveled from Nottingham weekly to see her. Bryan was so possessive that he insisted on naming the baby himself when Amaraye was born in February 2007. The court heard that Bryan even spent the night with the infant when he was just six weeks old, during which the child sustained a small bruise on his upper lip. Bryan dismissed other signs of injury, attributing them to minor accidents.
In May of the previous year, Bryan was left alone with Amaraye while Ginna went out. When she returned, she found her son pale and unwell. Bryan refused to allow the child to be examined at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and instead took him to a park. When the baby’s grandmother threatened to call the police, Bryan convinced Ginna to claim that the injuries were accidental, caused by a fall. Medical examinations revealed that Amaraye was seriously ill, with a fractured skull, bleeding behind the eyes, and broken ribs—injuries consistent with violent squeezing and shaking.
Bryan later claimed that the injuries might have been caused unintentionally when he swung the baby around in the garden. It was also revealed that Amaraye was not Bryan’s first victim. The court detailed that Bryan had previously attacked two other infants, both of whom suffered severe injuries within months of his relationships with their mothers.
The first case involved a four-month-old boy, referred to as Child T, whose mother was just 16 when Bryan, then 20, began a relationship with her. The child was born in November 1998. The following day, the mother discovered bruising around the child’s eyes and nose. Bryan claimed the injuries resulted from the baby’s contact with him during sleep. When the bruising worsened, the child was taken to hospital, where doctors found internal bleeding around the brain and a broken leg, along with older injuries consistent with shaking. The child eventually made a full recovery.
The second case involved another four-month-old boy, known as Child M, born in August 1999. Bryan, then 21, started a relationship with the mother, who was 18 and also from Nottingham. Bryan stayed overnight with the infant when the mother was out, and the child fell ill shortly afterward. Hospital examinations revealed bleeding in the brain, retinal hemorrhages, broken ribs, and a fractured leg—injuries that caused irreversible brain damage, leaving the child in need of full-time care by the age of eight.
Police in Nottinghamshire arrested Bryan in June 2001. During police interviews, Bryan claimed he had accidentally rolled over onto Child T while sleeping on a settee. He also admitted to caring for Child M on a few occasions but denied causing the injuries. Despite these admissions, neither of the investigations from seven years prior resulted in charges against Bryan or anyone else involved.
It was only after the death of Amaraye and the subsequent review of evidence that Bryan was charged and convicted of cruelty. Ginna Gobran, Amaraye’s mother, expressed her anguish in a victim impact statement, stating, “That monster can spend the rest of his life behind bars but it will never bring him back. I hope he never gets the chance to hold another baby again.” The case has prompted calls for a review of social services and police actions at the time, to determine if lessons can be learned to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
According to court proceedings at Sheffield Crown Court, Bryan's violent outburst was triggered when he was awakened by the crying of Amaraye. In a fit of rage, Bryan violently shook the infant, applying such force that his ribs were fractured. The court was told that Bryan then squeezed the baby's ribs until they broke and subsequently hurled him across the living room, causing him to collide with a wall. The assault was so severe that it ultimately led to the child's death.
Following the attack, Bryan attempted to conceal the severity of Amaraye’s injuries. He lied to authorities, claiming he had taken the baby to the hospital, when in fact he had not. The court heard that Bryan’s actions were part of a pattern of cruelty towards young children, as he had previously been involved in two other incidents of severe abuse involving infants just months apart. Despite these earlier assaults, Bryan was not initially prosecuted for those injuries, as police investigations at the time did not lead to charges.
It was only after the tragic death of Amaraye last year that authorities revisited the case. When South Yorkshire Police reviewed the evidence from the earlier investigations, they found sufficient grounds to charge Bryan with the previous assaults. The court was informed that Bryan had blamed the injuries on the mothers, relatives, or babysitters, attempting to deflect responsibility for the harm he caused.
Mr. Justice Henriques, presiding over the case, condemned Bryan as a danger to children, describing him as a “most callous, self-centred and unprincipled individual.” He emphasized that no child should ever be placed in Bryan’s care again, underscoring the gravity of his crimes.
Details of Bryan’s relationship with Amaraye’s mother, Ginna Gobran, emerged during the trial. The pair had begun an affair in 2005 when Ginna was 19 and Bryan was 27. She resided with her parents in Sheffield, while Bryan traveled from Nottingham weekly to see her. Bryan was so possessive that he insisted on naming the baby himself when Amaraye was born in February 2007. The court heard that Bryan even spent the night with the infant when he was just six weeks old, during which the child sustained a small bruise on his upper lip. Bryan dismissed other signs of injury, attributing them to minor accidents.
In May of the previous year, Bryan was left alone with Amaraye while Ginna went out. When she returned, she found her son pale and unwell. Bryan refused to allow the child to be examined at Sheffield Children’s Hospital and instead took him to a park. When the baby’s grandmother threatened to call the police, Bryan convinced Ginna to claim that the injuries were accidental, caused by a fall. Medical examinations revealed that Amaraye was seriously ill, with a fractured skull, bleeding behind the eyes, and broken ribs—injuries consistent with violent squeezing and shaking.
Bryan later claimed that the injuries might have been caused unintentionally when he swung the baby around in the garden. It was also revealed that Amaraye was not Bryan’s first victim. The court detailed that Bryan had previously attacked two other infants, both of whom suffered severe injuries within months of his relationships with their mothers.
The first case involved a four-month-old boy, referred to as Child T, whose mother was just 16 when Bryan, then 20, began a relationship with her. The child was born in November 1998. The following day, the mother discovered bruising around the child’s eyes and nose. Bryan claimed the injuries resulted from the baby’s contact with him during sleep. When the bruising worsened, the child was taken to hospital, where doctors found internal bleeding around the brain and a broken leg, along with older injuries consistent with shaking. The child eventually made a full recovery.
The second case involved another four-month-old boy, known as Child M, born in August 1999. Bryan, then 21, started a relationship with the mother, who was 18 and also from Nottingham. Bryan stayed overnight with the infant when the mother was out, and the child fell ill shortly afterward. Hospital examinations revealed bleeding in the brain, retinal hemorrhages, broken ribs, and a fractured leg—injuries that caused irreversible brain damage, leaving the child in need of full-time care by the age of eight.
Police in Nottinghamshire arrested Bryan in June 2001. During police interviews, Bryan claimed he had accidentally rolled over onto Child T while sleeping on a settee. He also admitted to caring for Child M on a few occasions but denied causing the injuries. Despite these admissions, neither of the investigations from seven years prior resulted in charges against Bryan or anyone else involved.
It was only after the death of Amaraye and the subsequent review of evidence that Bryan was charged and convicted of cruelty. Ginna Gobran, Amaraye’s mother, expressed her anguish in a victim impact statement, stating, “That monster can spend the rest of his life behind bars but it will never bring him back. I hope he never gets the chance to hold another baby again.” The case has prompted calls for a review of social services and police actions at the time, to determine if lessons can be learned to prevent similar tragedies in the future.