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Father sentenced to 20 years for murder of infant son

Pacemaker A man with short cropped hair is looking into the camera. He is wearing a black zip up jacket and is standing in front of a stone wall. Pacemaker
Rowland previously pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully neglecting the child but a jury found him guilty of murder

A man who shook his baby son so violently that it caused "catastrophic" brain injuries has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in jail for the child's murder.

Lewis Oliver Rowland was 13 weeks old when he sustained life-changing injuries in the attack in November 2015.

The child was left with a range of disabilities and died three years later from surgical complications.

The prosecution had argued the injuries Lewis suffered in 2015 were a "significant cause of his death".

Craig Rowland, 30, from Millington Park in Portadown, County Armagh, denied murdering his son.

He admitted wilful neglect, but after his trial last October the jury convicted him of murder.

Rowland was given an automatic life sentence at the time, but on Thursday the judge imposed a tariff of 20 years before he can be considered for parole.

The judge, Mr Justice O'Hara, sitting at Laganside Court said that the overwhelming likelihood is that Rowland lost his temper and shook Lewis causing his death.

He also revealed that despite the jury's verdict, Rowland continues to deny responsibility for what he did and has blamed medical staff for his son's death.

The child died in his foster mother's arms in October 2018, having suffered complications arising from surgery to insert a feeding tube into his stomach.

He was three years old.

Also sentenced on Thursday was Lewis's mother Laura Graham, who is 32 and from Edward Street in Lurgan.

Prior to the trial, both she and Rowland admitted a charge of wilfully neglecting their son on 20 November, 2015 by failing to obtain timely medical treatment.

The pair brought Lewis to Craigavon Area Hospital after the attack in 2015 where medical examinations showed that he had suffered a serious brain injury.

Later that afternoon, Lewis was rushed to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children with a brain bleed.

His injuries resulted in a permanent and severe disability.

'Forceful shaking episode'

Liam McBurney/PA Wire Laura Graham pictured outside the court in Belfast. She is wearing a black overcoat, the hood of which she is using to cover her face. She is also wearing a fringed pink. gray and white scarf and is holding a plastic bottle. Liam McBurney/PA Wire
The child's mother Laura Graham was given a non-custodial sentence for child cruelty after the judge said she was coerced and controlled by Rowland

During the four week trial, medical experts said the brain injury Lewis had sustained as a baby was likely caused by a "forceful shaking episode".

One doctor told the trial that the child's brain injury was "one of the most severe" he had seen during his 10 years of practice.

He said it was sustained within a 24 hour period of Lewis being admitted to hospital and was akin to one suffered during a crash or a fall from an "enormous height".

Graham was handed a combination order consisting of three years probation and 100 hours community service.

Rowland had 12-month sentence imposed for the neglect charge, which will run concurrently with his 20-year tariff for murder.

The judge said that there was no sign of neglect or abuse before the date Lewis was brought to hospital and told the court it was "probably a one-off incident".

But he said Rowland's culpability was "exceptionally high" for a number of reasons.

These included the degree of violence used; the delay in getting help for the injured baby; his long criminal record and refusal to accept his role in the child's death.

Turning to Graham, she said she had not inflicted any injury on Lewis and that she had a "minimal level of culpability as an offender" because of her low intelligence.

He said she was "subject to coercive and controlling behaviour by Rowland who dominated her in all aspects of their relationship".

He also noted she had been abused and bullied as a child and added that imposing a custodial sentence "would not achieve any positive result".

Following the sentencing, Det Ch Insp Kerrie Foreman from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said Rowland has "finally been held accountable".

"This, however, remains a totally tragic and distressing case, in which the most cowardly and brutal of actions have taken a young, defenceless and innocent life."

She said the couple had opted "to walk to hospital rather than calling an ambulance" for their baby after the attack in 2015.

"My thoughts are with the foster family and those loved ones who continue to grieve, and indeed with all who have been touched by the sadness of the murder of young Lewis Rowland."