Court told father shook baby then blamed the dog

A YOUNG father shook his baby so hard he caused terrible brain injuries then lied to doctors and police and blamed the family dog, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS Reporter [e-mail]

The actions of Dafydd Rutherford caused the weeks-old infant to suffer multiple bleeds on the brain with devastating and lifelong consequences.

Swansea Crown 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”.

Megan Williams, prosecuting, told the court the alarm was raised by medics at Morriston Hospital after the injured infant had been brought in from the family home in Swansea.

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 the police and social services were alerted.