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.
Dafydd Rutherford, then 19, shook his crying baby causing his child to suffer multiple bleeds on the brain
Rutherford blamed the dog for knocking the baby's basket over at their home while the child's mother was shopping
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.
At Swansea Crown Court (pictured), Rutherford 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 became frustrated at the dog barking and the baby crying and lost his temper.
Rutherford was sentenced to 28 months in prison.
