A father who shook his newborn baby, causing catastrophic brain injuries, has been jailed for manslaughter after the child died 12 years later. Allan Young, 36, admitted causing grievous bodily harm to five-week-old Michael Winn in 1998, but was further charged with manslaughter when the boy died in 2011.
The Old Bailey heard that Michael's death was a direct result of the injuries he suffered as an infant, which led to cerebral palsy and curvature of the spine. His physical and intellectual development was severely impaired, leaving him blind, incontinent, and unable to speak. At the time of his death, his adoptive mother described him as having the functioning age of six weeks.
Prosecutor Zoey Johnson QC told the jury that Young did not intend to cause serious harm but was nevertheless responsible for Michael's death. Young, of Glasgow Road, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, had denied manslaughter.
The court heard that on 16 April 1998, Young shook Michael at the home he shared with his girlfriend, Erica Francis, in Belsize Road, north-west London. When Francis woke later that day, she noticed Michael was 'all floppy' with 'staring eyes that did not focus'. Young later admitted he 'may have hurt Michael' and shaken him because he would not stop crying.
Michael was diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome and suffered severe brain damage. He was discharged into the care of Camden social services and later adopted. On 11 January 2011, his adoptive mother noticed his breathing had stopped, and he died on 23 January. A postmortem found the cause of death was respiratory insufficiency caused by pneumonia and the marked curvature of the spine, directly linked to the 1998 injuries.
Young was arrested in Scotland in March 2011 and told police he had 'accidentally shaken' Michael for mere seconds after being up all night. The jury found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to prison.
