A man who left a child with 'car crash-like' injuries after 'shaking' them has dodged jail. Liam Connor, who was just 18 years old when he carried out the attack, left the youngster with bleeds to the brain, eyes and spine.
Appearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, the now 22-year-old admitted cruelty to a child - but will not face any time behind bars. Antoine Muller, prosecuting, said Connor had been upstairs with the child at a property in Black Country, Birmingham Live reports.
Paramedics were later called to the address when he emerged with the 'pale and floppy' child after it was heard crying. The young victim was rushed to Russells Hall Hospital, where doctors discovered they has suffered 'internal trauma' to their brain.
Other injuries included bruising to their jaw, face and under the chin, as well as their leg and thigh.
The court also heard how the child had suffered haemorrhages to both eyes, the brain and spine. Medics described the injuries as 'very similar' to those caused by a road traffic collision or a 'long fall'.
Injuries were also 'symptomatic of shaking', the prosecutor said. Thankfully, the child has since made a full recovery.
Mukhtar Ubhi, defending, said the incident was a 'one off', with Connor, from Tipton, admitting that his actions were 'reckless'. He added: "It's something that should not have happened.
"Unfortunately he has been living with it for the last four years." Connor had a single previous conviction for taking a vehicle without consent in 2017, the court was told on Monday (October 7).
Sentencing, Judge Michael Chambers KC said injuries sustained by the child were of a 'similar degree to shaking'. He continued: "Any child, but particularly a baby, is extremely vulnerable.
"As a result of your actions, the child was seriously injured. It is accepted by the prosecution that this was a momentary lapse in judgment."
Connor admitted cruelty to a child on September 18, 2018. He received a 10-month sentence, suspended for two years, with a rehabilitation activity requirement and 150-hours unpaid work.
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