TEEN DAD JAILED FOR SHAKING BABY IN SWANSEA
A young father shook his baby so hard he caused terrible brain injuries then lied to doctors and police and blamed the dog, a court has heard.The actions of Dafydd Rutherford caused the weeks-old infant to suffer multiple bleeds on the brain with devastating and life-long consequences.
The court heard the defendant belatedly admitted shaking his baby out of frustration, saying he did not want to hurt his child but to "stop [the baby] crying".
Rutherford's advocate said the offence was born of "immaturity, impulsivity, and recklessness" and said the reality was his client - who was a teenager at the time - "simply wasn't ready for a child".
Medics at Morriston Hospital in Swansea were alerted after the injured infant was brought in from their home.
Initially, the child was noted to have a series of parallel bruises on the chest and to be "pale" in colour but then suffered a seizure.
Subsequent head scans showed areas of bleeding on the brain, and police and social services were contacted.
The court heard the infant was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where MRI scans revealed bleeding to both sides of the brain, bleeding around the spinal cord, and brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation.
The baby's parents were arrested during the investigation.
During police interviews, Rutherford denied responsibility, claiming the dog had knocked the baby's basket over.
He stated he had picked up the baby and put the child to sleep before going into the kitchen.
Later, he admitted that he became frustrated due to the dog barking and the crying baby and had shaken the infant "three or four times." The prosecutor reported that Rutherford told officers "he didn't wish to hurt [the child] he simply wished to stop [them] crying." The victim was left with developmental delays as a result of the brain injuries.
An impact statement from the family described how they had been "torn apart" while Rutherford remained silent about what had happened.
They accused him of "helping himself rather than helping his [child]" by not revealing the truth early on.
Dafydd Rutherford, who is now 22, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm during the sentencing.
Notably, he has no previous convictions.
His lawyer, Stuart John, expressed understanding that Rutherford causes "irreparable damage" to his child and family, citing his immaturity and recklessness, highlighting that he was a teenager and unprepared for fatherhood.
Judge Catherine Richards described Rutherford's actions as causing "devastating" injuries, characteristic of shaken baby syndrome.
The judge emphasized that Rutherford's initial denial increased suspicion on other family members and was a significant aggravating factor.
Rutherford was sentenced to 28 months in prison, with a report that he will serve up to half of that in custody before being released on license to serve the remainder in the community.
