DYLAN MACKIE BRUTALLY BEATS FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY IN GRANGEMOUTH

In April 2018, a disturbing case emerged from Grangemouth, where a young boy suffered severe physical abuse at the hands of his caregiver, Dylan Mackie, aged 22. The incident unfolded on the morning of April 16 last year, when Mackie was entrusted with the care of the four-and-a-half-year-old boy while his mother went to work. Initially, the child appeared unharmed, but within hours, he was found to have sustained extensive bruising and injuries that shocked medical professionals.

Neighbours in the Grangemouth area reported hearing loud banging noises and a distressed voice crying out, “stop it, stop it,” emanating from Mackie’s flat. These sounds indicated a violent altercation, which was later confirmed by police and social workers investigating the case. Despite the signs of abuse, Mackie took the boy with him to his job as a pressure-washer operator, further endangering the child's well-being.

Medical examinations revealed injuries described by a consultant paediatrician, Michael Colvin, as some of the most extensive non-accidental injuries he had ever encountered in a child. The boy was found to have suffered multiple bruises, including significant facial injuries, bruising behind both ears, and extensive bruising to his buttocks. The injuries were so severe that they prompted the police to investigate further.

Police discovered a partially-burned wooden plank at the rear of the boy’s residence in Grangemouth. Dr. Colvin explained that the shape of the charred end of the plank matched the pattern of the injury on the child's head, suggesting it was involved in the assault. During a court hearing, graphic photographs of the boy’s injuries were presented, illustrating the extent of the harm inflicted.

In court, the young boy, now five-and-a-half years old, provided testimony via video link. When asked what Mackie did at work, he simply responded, “Hitting me.” In a prior police and social work interview, the boy recounted being assaulted in the flat, stating, “Dylan hit me. He hurt my face. Dylan did it in my bedroom with his hands.” His mother described her son as looking “like a battered wean” when she undressed him for his bath that evening, highlighting the visible injuries.

During the trial, the jury was shown the distressing photographs of the child's injuries. Mackie denied assaulting the boy with his hands or any other means, claiming that the injuries on his head might have been caused by a fall. He also denied assaulting the boy’s mother three days later, when he allegedly pulled her ponytail, causing her to flee their flat in a state of terror and distress.

After a three-day trial, a jury composed of nine women and six men deliberated for less than an hour before returning guilty verdicts on both charges. The verdicts were delivered by majority. Mackie, of Kersiebank Avenue in Grangemouth, was found guilty of assaulting the child and the assault on his mother. His solicitor, Simon Hutchison, acknowledged the seriousness of the case but noted that Mackie had been on bail for the past 12 months without further incidents. He requested that bail be continued while social workers prepared a background report.

However, Sheriff Craig Caldwell responded firmly, describing the offence as “extremely serious.” He revoked Mackie’s bail and remanded him in custody, emphasizing the gravity of the crime. The sheriff stated, “The evidence has been, and was clearly accepted by the jury, that you engaged in an entirely unprovoked, violent, and persistent assault on a very young child. There’s no childhood transgression that could ever explain or justify it. It was down to no restraint on your part that this poor child didn’t suffer even more serious injury.”

As the court proceedings concluded, there were audible shouts from members of the public seated in the courtroom. Police officers quickly removed a man from the courtroom, and Mackie’s mother, who had been present throughout the trial, was seen putting her head in her hands and crying. Mackie himself called out to her, saying, “Mum, I love you, see you soon,” as he was handcuffed and led away to the cells. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 10, with the court expected to impose a significant jail term for his actions in Grangemouth.