Father found guilty of infant son's murder

A 29-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering his infant son.

Craig Rowland of Millington park, in Portadown, had denied killing the child but after deliberating for more than six hours a jury, by a majority of 11 to one, found him guilty.

Speaking in Belfast's Crown Court, Mr Justice O'Hara said because Rowland had been found guilty of murder, he must pass a sentence of life imprisonment. A tariff will be decided at a hearing in December.

As the jury was dismissed, Rowland swore at them, adding that the verdict was a "joke" and accused them of being corrupt.

The judge advised Rowland's barrister to "have a word" with his client.

Lewis Oliver Rowland was just 13 weeks old when he was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital on 20 November 2015.

He was brought by Rowland and the child's mother, Laura Graham, with medical examinations showing that he had suffered a serious brain injury.

This resulted in a permanent and severe disability.

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

He died three years later on 20 October 2018 from complications arising from surgery.

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

It was the prosecution's case that the injuries suffered by the child in 2015 were a "significant cause of his death."

During the trial, one doctor had described Lewis' brain injury as "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 road traffic collision or a fall from an "enormous height".

Both Rowland and Ms Graham had previously pleaded guilty to wilful neglect.

During his evidence last week, Rowland admitted to telling "little lies" in his account of what happened.

He said he accepted Lewis had sustained injuries, but denied being the one who was responsible.

Following the jury's guilty verdict and the life sentence was imposed, Rowland was handcuffed by prison staff.

As he was being removed from the dock and led into custody, he again shouted and said "you are all corrupt, there was no evidence."