By Grâçia Ada Obi
A man who shook a baby so hard he was left with life-changing injuries has been jailed for 12 years. Marc Lannen was on November 13 sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, having earlier been convicted of attempting to murder the four-month old boy.
The crime occurred while the 34-year-old was supposedly caring for the child at a property in Dundee in August 2018. Lannen had denied the allegation claiming the baby had become unwell as he had “soothed” him too much while holding him over his shoulder.
But, five doctors concluded the injuries were non-accidental and were as a result of “abusive head trauma”. Sentencing, Lord Young told Lannen: “The baby’s life was saved by the skills of the neurological team at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, but he has been left with the consequences of that injury.
“There is nothing in your background as to why you committed this offence. You had a good upbringing and a loving family. They remain supportive of you.
“On one view this might seem like a tragic and momentary loss of control. The difficulty is that you have said very little as to what happened that night. “I have no clear explanation from you as to the circumstances of the crime that you were found guilty of. It would be wrong for me to speculate.”
The judge said it would be many years before the “true extent” of the impact on the child will be known, but he is likely to be left with some form of permanent impairment. Jurors at the trial in Dundee heard how medics believed the boy had been violently shaken for a sustained period of time.
One said the brain injury was as bad as any he had seen during his near 30-year career as a doctor. It was stated that had the child not received vital treatment he could have possibly died within hours.
The child’s mum had told the trial she had gone out that day with her brother leaving Lannen with the baby. On meeting Lannen at Ninewells, he was said to have stated that the child had a seizure, went cold before becoming floppy and unresponsive.
The child now needs additional support at school and has to be regularly assessed by a consultant paediatrician. Michael Meehan KC, defending, today told the court that Lannen’s position of denial at the trial was “reflective” of what he stated in a pre-sentencing background report.