Baby-killing father jailed over attacks
Child beater sentenced to 12 years
A FINANCIAL adviser who shook his five-weekold daughter to death and then tried to murder a baby boy two years later was yesterday jailed for 12 years.
Ian Ruddock was told by a judge that the killing of his baby daughter Olivia was an offence ‘of very significant gravity’.
Lord Bannatyne told 34-yearold Ruddock it was a parent’s duty to care for a child and that his actions were ‘a gross breach of trust’.
He said: ‘You committed both these offences when both children were babies. It is difficult to think of more a vulnerable victim than a baby.
‘You had all the advantages of a good, happy upbringing. You were someone who was materially comfortable. You are not someone who had an unhappy upbringing, nor were you someone who had significant problems.’
Members of Ruddock’s family sat weeping in the public benches at the High Court in Glasgow, while Ruddock showed no emotion as he was led away to begin his sentence.
Defence QC Donald Findlay said Ruddock continued to maintain his innocence, adding: ‘Two little boys who apparently dote on their dad are going to lose their dad for a very long time.’
Ruddock went on trial accused of murdering five-week-old Olivia at the family home in Clarkston, Renfrewshire, in March 2011. He was cleared of Olivia’s murder but a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found him guilty by majority verdict of culpable homicide.
Ruddock was also found guilty of the attempted murder of a baby boy in Glasgow in 2013.
The court heard that on several occasions between January and March 2011, Ruddock repeatedly shook his daughter, causing extensive rib and head injuries.
Foul play was not suspected at the time, with doctors concluding Olivia had died of bronchial pneumonia. Ruddock then went on to attack another child, fracturing his ribs and skull.
He was finally caught after police, tipped off by medics, launched an investigation shortly after the second infant’s injuries came to light.
During the trial, the court heard that Ruddock had got up from bed in the early hours of March 6, 2011 to feed Olivia who had become unwell.
He said he had called out to his wife, Wendy, and tried to shake Olivia awake but denied causing his daughter’s death.
Ruddock’s claim of innocence was supported by his sister and his wife, who both gave evidence for him.
The court heard, however, that Ruddock was investigated after medics became suspicious when treating the male child’s injuries.
Police looked back through Ruddock’s past and discovered new medical evidence about what really happened to Olivia.
Speaking after sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Maxine Martin said: ‘Ian Ruddock will no longer pose a risk to any other children as he spends years behind bars.’