Shaken baby is unable to walk or talk Attacker jailed for murder bid
A lorry driver left a three- week old baby with permanent brain damage by shaking it violently.
Damien Menzies ( 25) attacked the 26-day-old child at a dance show in Deans Community High School, Livingston, in October 2014.
He has been jailed for seven years for attempting to murder the child.
The High Court in Livingston heard that the incident has left the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, unable to walk or talk.
Doctors will not know what effect the injuries will have on the victim’s future life until the baby’s brain is fully developed.
Former squaddie Menzies, from Bathgate, was convicted of attempted murder following a trial in June.
He had denied harming the child.
On Tuesday at the High Court in Edinburgh defence lawyer Ian Bryce told judge Lady Scott that Menzies maintained his innocence.
He also said that the violence for which Menzies was convicted of was “out of character.”
However, Lady Scott said she had no other option but to jail him.
She said: “Mr Menzies, you have been found guilty of the crime of attempted murder. The jury found that you acted in a reckless and wicked manner.
“You lost control and you you shook a child violently.
“The child’s life is immeasurably reduced. However, the full extent of the child’s injuries are not yet known and will not be known until the child’s brain is fully developed.
“In these circumstances the sentence of this court will be one of seven-and-a-half years.”