Isle of Man mother who violently shook her infant son jailed

A mother who violently shook her infant son, causing him irreversible brain damage, has been jailed.

The woman, who the BBC has not named because her son cannot be identified for legal reasons, caused injuries to the three-month-old in December 2022 that left him with a severe visual impairment and cerebral palsy.

Douglas Courthouse heard when the infant was eventually seen by a doctor she claimed his injuries had been caused by him rolling off a mattress, before later blaming potholes in the roads.

Jailing her for three years and six months for inflicting grievous bodily harm, Deemster Graeme Cook said it was a case of the “most severe gravity”.

The court heard the woman had avoided taking her son to a GP appointment for conjunctivitis on the morning he suffered his injuries.

The child’s father, who saw him at about 11:30 GMT that day, described him as having been “extremely grumpy” and having a cry that was higher pitched than normal, or “whingey”.

The court heard that while the baby had taken a feed at 08:00 he would not take another at lunchtime.

The woman then left her baby with her mother for a time in the afternoon while she visited a friend to try to buy cannabis, which the court heard she had resumed smoking following his birth.

During that period the baby’s grandmother noticed he was pale and floppy, so gave him some Calpol.

When he failed to recover, the grandmother called a doctor to arrange an appointment for her daughter to attend with the baby.

The court heard during that appointment, at about 17:00, the GP had noticed a large bump on the child’s head the size of a golf ball, which had been covered by a hat earlier in the day.

The woman began shaking when asked about the injury and said it had been caused by him rolling off a mattress at home two days earlier, the court was told.

The child was taken to Noble’s Hospital by ambulance in a critical condition where he had to be resuscitated, before being transferred by air ambulance to Alder Hey on Merseyside, where he spent 72 hours sedated in intensive care.

The court heard medical experts had concluded the child had suffered “non-accidental abusive head trauma” as a result of being shaken severely several times.

The impact was comparable to a road traffic collision or a fall from height, and the explanation of rolling off a mattress was simply “not plausible”, the court was told.

The delay in seeking medical care was a “hallmark of abuse” and more prompt treatments in cases of brain injuries led to “better outcomes”.

When interviewed by police the woman initially said she had missed the morning GP appointment for her son because they were both asleep, but activity on her phone showed she had been using it during that period, including sending a message trying to secure cannabis.

She denied causing her son’s injuries and claimed they could have been caused by anyone who had looked after him, including the boy’s father from whom she was separated.

The court heard she also claimed it could have been the result of his head “bouncing around” due to potholes in the roads.

In a statement read to the court, the child’s paternal grandmother said the family was “emotionally devastated” by what had happened, and that their lives had been changed forever.

“We will always grieve the baby we could have watched grow, and the family moments that will never happen,” she said.

The woman’s defence advocate said medical reports had found she suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of childhood experiences, and was herself a vulnerable young woman.

Deemster Cook said while he accepted the condition may have contributed to her behaviour, it did not cause it.

He commented it was “one of the most sad cases I have come across”.

The woman had “destroyed” any chance for the baby boy’s family to be in his life and left him with lifelong difficulties, he said, adding: “Nothing I do or say will bring that back.”

Addressing the deemster at the end of the hearing, the woman said she was “extremely sorry” for the pain she had caused and the “damage I have caused to my son’s life”.

The court heard the boy had been placed in foster care, where he was “exceeding expectations”.

A statement from his foster mother said he was a “lovely, affectionate, brilliant little boy” who was “a joy to have”.

“I just want to give him the best life I can because he deserves it,” she added.

Det Ch Insp Michelle Maddocks said it was “one of the most difficult investigations” she had ever been involved in.

That was not only because it was “complex in terms of securing the evidence”, she said, “but also because the child was healthy before he sustained the injuries caused by his mother”.

“The lady who has fostered the child is a hero in my eyes – without her the child would not have progressed the way he has.”

Maddocks urged “any parent that may be struggling with a new baby to seek help before matters go too far and irreparable damage is done”.

“Social Care and Manx Care both provide services that support parents and families and there is no shame in asking for help or recognising you may need it,” she added.