Overview

• Dafydd Rutherford, 22, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on his weeks-old child and received a 28-month prison term at Swansea Crown Court.
• Medical staff at Morriston Hospital raised the alarm after the infant arrived with parallel chest bruises, a pale complexion and a seizure.
• Rutherford initially blamed the family dog for knocking over the baby’s basket before admitting he shook the infant three or four times to stop it crying.
• MRI scans at the University Hospital of Wales showed bleeding on both sides of the brain, around the spinal cord and oxygen deprivation injuries.
• The court heard the baby faces lifelong developmental delays and Rutherford will serve half his sentence in custody before release on licence.