Dad locked up for abusing 11-week-old daughter; dad blamed the "stress" of home decorating (United Kingdom)

God only knows that the stress of picking out just the right window treatment is simply overwhelming! The poor dear just could help abusing the baby after all that, yes?

Dad PAUL ROBERTS is one narcissistic @$$hole.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/10584171.Father_locked_up_for_causing_brain_damage_to_his_baby_girl_after_shaking_her/?ref=nt

Father locked up for causing brain damage to his baby girl after shaking her .

6:30pm Wednesday 31st July 2013 in News

By Neil Hunter.

A BABY was left brain damaged after being shaken by her father - because he was "under stress" with work and decorating the family home.

Paul Roberts' pitiful excuse emerged during a court hearing yesterday when he was locked up for 21 months for harming his tiny daughter.

The 35-year-old's lawyer spoke at length about what impact the case has had on the former bus driver - and barely mentioned the injured child.

"It goes without saying that he is devastated at the prospect of a custodial sentence," Peter Wishlade, mitigating, told Teesside Crown Court.

"He has worked all his life. He lost his job as a result of this and retrained as a bus driver and lost that when they found out he was coming to court.

"He is going to be faced with difficulty for the rest of his life in relation to employment as a result of this.

"This is a tragedy not only for Mr Roberts and his wife, but also for his family who accompany him at court today. "He is never going to forget it or forgive himself for what happened at a time when he was under stress at work and decorating the house."

The court heard how the 11-week-old girl was floppy and pale with breathing problems when Roberts called an ambulance to their home.

Hospital scans revealed serious bleeding on the brain, said prosecutor Rachel Masters, and both Roberts and his wife were suspected.

Even though he had been left looking after their two children that night, the father denied deliberately causing any injuries in September 2011.

It was more than a year later when he confessed during a custody hearing with his now ex-wife, and police later charged him.

Roberts, of Whitley Road, Tornaby, near Stockton, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm when he appeared in court.

Mr Wishlade said he was from an "exemplary" family and described the actions as "a momentary lapse of reason and loss of temper".

Judge Tony Briggs told Roberts that his initial denials and the knock-on effect for his wife and children made the matter worse.

"You lost control of yourself and shook her with sufficient violence to cause serious bleeding to the brain," the judge said.

"An attack by a man of your age and your background and your knowledge on a child like that is obviously a very serious matter.

"Children of this age must be protected, and it must be understood by everybody that shaking a very young child of only weeks of age is a matter which must attract custody save for in the most exceptional circumstances."