A father has been charged with the murder of his teenage son, who died 14 years after suffering catastrophic head injuries as a baby in West London.
Arrest at Heathrow and Court Appearance
Lejunae Wood, 42, from Wuppertal in Germany, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Thursday, December 4, 2025. He was formally charged the following day with the murder of Leajunne Wood. The defendant appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where he spoke only to confirm his identity.
Prosecutor Cathryn Evans told the court the defendant is accused of murdering his own child. Wood has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court, on Tuesday.
A Tragedy Spanning 14 Years
The case centres on an incident that occurred in December 2007 at a family home in Hayes, west London. At just four months old, Leajunne Wood sustained life-changing severe head injuries.
Despite surviving the initial assault, he lived with the consequences of his injuries until his death on December 6, 2021, at the age of 14. A pathologist's report from 2023, cited by the Metropolitan Police, concluded that Leajunne died from complications arising directly from that severe head injury suffered in infancy.
Legal Proceedings and Investigation
This rare and complex case demonstrates how the legal system can pursue murder charges long after an initial act of violence, particularly when a direct causal link to a death can be medically established years later.
The Met Police investigation, which bridged over a decade, ultimately led to the arrest as Wood arrived in the UK. The upcoming hearing at the Old Bailey will mark the next stage in this protracted legal process.
