Man who shook newborn baby jailed for attempted murder

A man who shook a newborn baby boy and caused serious injuries has been jailed for seven years for attempted murder.

Stuart Flood, 28, from Elgin in Moray, was found guilty of the assaulting the infant over a three-month period in Aberdeen in 2021.

The boy was taken to hospital in the city before being airlifted to Glasgow for emergency surgery.

Judge Paul Brown, jailing Flood at the High Court in Dundee, said the child’s injuries were “very serious indeed”.

The court heard that Flood attacked the baby beginning when he was just 14 days old.

But he denied attempted murder and claimed that the boy was hurt in two accidental incidents, for which he accepted responsibility.

However, the jury found him guilty of the full charge, including shaking the baby and inflicting trauma to the danger of his life.

Judge Brown said: “Thankfully there has been a good recovery but there will be a lasting impact from your actions.

“I take into account your age, your lack of previous convictions and your previous good character.

“However, there is no appropriate alternative to a substantial custodial sentence, given the grave nature of this crime.”

Speaking to BBC Scotland News, the mother of the baby said: “I’m glad he got seven years, but it’s not about the amount of time, it’s about how we have finally got justice for my little boy.”