Latest news with #DafyddRutherford
Daily Mirror
28-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Teen dad shook crying baby until newborn had brain damage - then blamed the dog
Dafydd Rutherford, 22, shook his newborn to the point of irreparable brain damage and initially blamed the dog, claiming it knocked over the baby's basket before he admitted the truth A young dad shook his crying baby until the newborn had irreparable brain damage and had the audacity to blame the family dog. Dafydd Rutherford's shaking led his weeks-old infant to suffer multiple brain bleeds that have had life-long and devastating consequences, Swansea Crown Court heard. The court was told how Rutherford confessed to shaking his baby out of frustration and said it was not done to harm the child but was done instead to "stop the baby crying." His defence lawyers said the offence was a result of "immaturity, impulsivity, and recklessness", stating that Rutherford, who was a teenager at the time, "simply wasn't ready for a child." Head scans revealed the baby suffered bleeding on the brain, which led to the involvement of police and social services. The court heard how the infant was rushed to the paediatric care unit at the University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff. MRI scans showed bleeding on both sides of the brain around the spinal cord as well as damage to the brain due to being deprived of oxygen, Wales Online reported. Rutherford initially denied having caused the injuries to his child and claimed the dog knocked over the baby's basket. The defendant then admitted he had become frustrated with the dog barking and the baby crying before confessing to shaking the infant "three or four times." An impact statement from the baby's relatives read to the court described having felt as though they were "torn apart" while the defendant remained silent. They added that by failing to tell doctors, Rutherford had "chosen to help himself rather than help his [child.]" Rutherford, 22, previously admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm when he appeared for sentencing. Stuart John representing Rutherford, told the court that his client recognised he has inflicted "irreparable damage" upon his infant child as well as the entire family. He added the crime came from a place of "immaturity, impulsivity, and recklessness" and said the defendant would be haunted by his actions for the rest of his life. He said at the time of the incident he was a teenager who was "not ready for a child." Judge Catherine Richards told Rutherford that the baby had only been weeks old when he inflicted "devastating" injuries. She said the defendant initially refused to take responsibility for the injuries before confessing he became frustrated by the dog and baby, resulting in him losing his temper. Following a reduction for his guilty plea, Rutherford received a 28-month prison sentence. He will serve up to half of the term before being released on licence to complete the remainder in his community.
Daily Mail
28-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Teen father, 19, blamed pet dog for baby's 'irreparable' brain damage after violently shaking them
A young father has blamed his own pet dog for injuries to his five-week-old baby. Dafydd Rutherford, then 19, shook his crying baby causing his child to suffer multiple bleeds on the brain, with 'life-threatening consequences'. He then blamed the dog for knocking the baby's basket over at their home while the child's mother was shopping, a court heard. Rutherford later admitted he shook the baby to stop them crying because the dog was barking. He made the admission after hospital staff examined the infant's injuries. Megan Williams, prosecuting said the alarm was raised by medics after the baby was brought in from their home in Swansea. The child had a series of parallel bruises on its chest and was 'pale', but then suffered a seizure. MRI scans revealed that the baby had suffered bleeding to both sides of the brain, bleeding around the spinal cord, and damage to the brain caused by a lack of oxygen. Both parents were arrested - and during police interviews Rutherford denied being responsible for the injuries to his child, saying the dog had knocked the baby's basket over. He said he had picked the baby up and when they went to sleep he put the child down and went into the kitchen. But Rutherford later admitted he had become frustrated at the dog barking as well as the baby crying and had shaken the infant 'three or four times'. The prosecutor said the defendant told officers 'he didn't wish to hurt [the child] he simply wished to stop [them] crying'. Swansea Crown Court heard the victim has been left with developmental delay as a result of injuries to the brain. In an impact statement from the baby's family which was read the court they described how they had been 'torn apart'. They said in not telling the doctors what had really happened straight away so they could provide appropriate treatment, Rutherford had 'chosen to help himself rather than help his [child.]' Rutherford, now 22, of Swansea, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm. Stuart John, defending, said he has caused 'irreparable damage' to his young baby and to the wider family. He said the offence was born from 'immaturity, impulsivity, and recklessness' and was something he would regret for the rest of his life. Judge Catherine Richards told Rutherford his child had been just weeks old when he caused 'devastating' injuries in what is typically characterised as 'shaken baby syndrome'. She said the defendant had then denied being responsible for the injuries until later admitting he had become frustrated at the dog barking and the baby crying and lost his temper. Rutherford was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
Yahoo
26-07-2025
- Yahoo
Dad shook baby so hard he caused terrible brain injuries 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 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. 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 19 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 their 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. READ MORE: Boy, 13, found dead in school playground READ MORE: Dad-of-two ambulance worker with 'cheeky smile' dies suddenly leaving 'gaping hole' The court heard the infant was rushed to the paediatric care unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where MRI scans showed bleeding to both sides of the brain, bleeding around the spinal cord, and damage to the brain caused by a lack of oxygen. The prosecutor said both the baby's parents were arrested. The court heard that during the course of a number of police interviews Rutherford denied being responsible for the injuries to his child saying the dog had knocked the baby's basket over. He said he had picked the baby up and when they went to sleep he put the child down and went into the kitchen. The defendant later admitted he had become frustrated at the dog barking and the baby crying and had shaken the infant "three or four times". The prosecutor said the defendant told officers "he didn't wish to hurt [the child] he simply wished to stop [them] crying". For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard the victim has been left with developmental delay as a result of injuries to the brain. In an impact statement from the baby's family which was read the court they described how they had been "torn apart" while the defendant remained silent about what he had done. They said in not telling the doctors what had really happened straight away so they could provide appropriate treatment, Rutherford had "chosen to help himself rather than help his [child.]" Dafydd Rutherford, now 22, had previously pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions. Stuart John, for Rutherford, said the defendant understands he has caused "irreparable damage" to his young baby and to the wider family. He said the offence was born from "immaturity, impulsivity, and recklessness" and was something the defendant would regret for the rest of his life. He added that the reality was at the time of the incident his client was a teenager and "was not ready for a child". Judge Catherine Richards told Rutherford his child had been just weeks old when he caused "devastating" injuries in what is typically characterised as "shaken baby syndrome". She said the defendant had then denied being responsible for the injuries until later admitting he had became frustrated at the dog barking and the baby crying and lost his temper. She said the fact Rutherford had initially denied the assault meant not only that doctors did not know what they were dealing with but that suspicion fell on other family members, something which was a significant aggravating factor in the case. With a discount for this guilty plea Rutherford was sentenced to 28 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
