Violent shaking left baby brain damaged and "nearly dead", court is told (From Bournemouth Echo)

Violent shaking left baby brain damaged and "nearly dead", court is told

8:55am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By Jane Reader

A BOURNEMOUTH man shook a baby so violently she was left with brain damage and cerebral palsy, a court heard.

The little girl also has serious visual impairment after being critically injured by Alistair Dean, Bournemouth Crown Court was told.

A jury of seven women and five men heard Dean, 23, of Barrow Way, Bournemouth is accused of inflicting the injuries while alone with the child.

Prosecuting, Chris Stopa said Dean had opened a file on his computer which contained pornographic images minutes before he called paramedics.

A recording of the 999 call was played in court, in which Dean said: “I woke up.

“She is breathing very weird, she is limp.

“Her eyes are open but she is not responding.”

Mr Stopa told the court that when paramedics arrived “the defendant did not tell them about what had happened – nothing.

“He did not tell anybody about the shaking until the second interview under caution three days later.”

The court was told that Dean claimed to have shaken the child in a bid to revive her after finding her limp and unresponsive.

And Mr Stopa asked: “Was it a panic-driven attempt to revive her because she had been taken ill or was it a loss of control or temper for reasons that only he knows? In that room there were only two people.”

Jurors were told paramedics described the baby girl as “nearly dead” as they transported her to Poole Hospital after the incident.

She was transferred to Southampton Hospital the following day.

Dean denies a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative charge |of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The child has not been identified for legal reasons.

The trial continues.