Dad sentenced to jail for 2 years for violently shaking 3-month-old son (Winnipeg, Canada)

UNNAMED DAD has been sent to jail for two years after admitting to violently shaking his three-month-old son. The baby suffered significant retinal bleeding, a subdural hematoma, and brain atrophy. Of course, Dad was "caretaking" at the time (and may have been custodial; the news account is not clear). When his 14-month-old daughter rocked the crying baby in his car seat, Dad pushed the girl away and "angrily yanked" the baby, causing the baby's head to snap back and forth and bang against Dad's shoulder.

Here's the interesting part: the baby had been taken by Child and Family Services at birth and had "just recently been returned to this father's custody" at the time of the assault.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipeg/2009/06/18/9835946-sun.html

Baby-shaker receives two-year sentence

By DEAN PRITCHARD, SUN MEDIA

Last Updated: 18th June 2009, 4:40am

A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to two years in jail after admitting to violently shaking his three-month-old son.

Judge Tracey Lord gave the man double time credit of one year for time served, cutting his sentence in half.

The 21-year-old man can not be named to protect the identity of his son.

Court heard Tuesday the boy was seized by Child and Family Services at birth and had just recently been returned to his father's custody at the time of the December 2008 assault.

The man was at home with the boy and his 14-month old daughter when the girl started rocking the crying boy in a car seat, said Crown attorney Jennifer Mann.

The man pushed his daughter away and angrily yanked the baby from the car seat, causing his head to snap back and forth and bang into the man's shoulder, Mann said.

The boy suffered several seizures and was taken to hospital where a doctor determined he had suffered "significant trauma" consistent with shaken baby syndrome, including "significant" retinal bleeding, a subdural hematoma, and brain atrophy, Mann said.

Doctors say it is too early to tell if the boy's development will be impaired as a result of his injury, Mann told court.

The man initially declined to provide a police statement on the advice of his lawyer but later "came clean" in separate admissions to the boy's mother, a CFS worker, and police.

Lord sentenced the man to an additional two years supervised probation.