LIANE GORDON

A woman who left a four-month-old boy with life-threatening injuries is likely to escape a jail sentence.

Liane Gordon, 25, admitted shaking the baby and throwing him into his cot at a house in Haddington, East Lothian, because she could not stop him crying.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that medics had been extremely concerned for the boy.

Lord Macfadyen deferred sentence for a year and said he was not "minded" to impose a prison sentence at this stage.

Gordon had earlier pleaded guilty to culpable and reckless conduct which resulted in a severe injury to the baby.

Suffered seizures The court heard that the child was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh on 20 January after appearing unwell.

Hospital staff were "extremely concerned" for the life of the boy, who suffered seizures over the following days.

Advocate depute Peter Hammond said: "The medical team looking after him were of the view that his injuries could have resulted in death." He said the child had appeared to make good progress, but it was too early to say whether his long-term development had been affected.

The police were called in and Gordon initially denied hurting the child.

At first she tried to claim that she had fallen while coming down stairs with the baby.

However, Gordon later told social workers that she was not able to cope with the baby crying while she was looking after him.

No evidence Mr Hammond said: "She admitted she had been unable to stop (the baby) crying and told them she lifted him from his cot, cradled him in her arms, shaking him and put him back in the cot - which she did not do gently." Medical experts said there was no evidence to suggest that Gordon intended to harm the baby, who could have been shaken for 10 seconds.

Defence counsel Ruth Anderson QC said: "As far as can be ascertained at present he has suffered no lasting damage." She added that her client was "undoubtedly full of remorse".