David Gaut: Three men charged over baby killer's murder in Welsh village he had just returned to after 33 years in prison

Victim found dead weeks after returning to area where he committed the crime more than three decades ago

Three men have been charged with the murder of a convicted baby killer just months after his release following 33 years in prison.

David Gaut was found dead inside his flat in the Welsh village of New Tredegar on Saturday – weeks after returning to the area where he committed the crime more than three decades ago.

The 54-year-old had been jailed for life at Cardiff Crown Court for the murder of 17-month-old toddler Chi Ming Shek in Caerphilly in February 1985.

Men aged 47, 23 and 51 – all from the New Tredegar area – have been charged with Gaut's murder, Gwent Police said.

All three are due to appear at Newport Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Gaut's murder of the toddler was described at the time as "the worst crime in the land".

During sentencing in 1985, Mr Justice Caldfield said: "The person murdered was a defenceless little baby and on the jury's finding you not only murdered that child but also tortured him."

The toddler's mother Jane Pickthall, who was then aged 23, had been out drinking and left Gaut to look after her two young children.

Police at the scene in New Tredegar, Wales, where David Gaut was found dead (Getty)

The next day she found her son's body under a chest of drawers in his bedroom.

She could see her son, who was also known as Marky, was badly bruised in the groin area, chest and forehead.

The murder trial heard that Gaut had tried to make the death look accidental.

But pathologist Dr Owen Williams said the baby's injuries could have been caused by punching, kicking, falling, being thrown or a combination of these.

Prosecutor Aubrey Myerson QC said that while Ms Pickthall was out, neighbours heard loud noises, including banging and crashes.

The boy died of multiple injuries including a broken arm, injured liver and spleen and a fractured skull.

Additional reporting by PA