Woman jailed for three years for violent attack on baby

A woman who assaulted a one-month-old baby boy so violently he was left with "car crash like" injuries has been jailed for three years.

Shaazia Arshad, 26, inflicted nearly 30 separate injuries on the baby, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Stirling Sheriff Court was told the baby had been born healthy, and had no conditions that might have made his bones brittle.

Arshad, of Alloa, admitted attacking the baby to its severe injury. But the court heard that she had been unable to explain how the baby had been hurt.

Prosecutor Alistair McDermid said multiple skeletal surveys revealed that injuries included a haemorrhaged and bruised eyelid, 19 broken ribs, a broken right arm, two broken thighs, and tibia and fibula fractures on both legs.

Mr McDermid said: "Injuries of this type are those that would usually be expected in a significant road traffic collision.

"They would have caused this baby substantial pain."

The court was told that a health visitor who checked on the baby when he was three weeks old reported him well, calm when handled, and had no visible injuries when a naked weight check was carried out.

A few days later, Arshad's partner saw the baby crying and his left eyelid swollen.

Arshad later rang him at work to say the baby's leg "didn't look right".

The partner drove home and noticed the leg was badly swollen and was rock-hard and red.

He took the baby to a GP, where the baby let out a "horrible" cry the instant he was taken out of his car seat.

The court heard that throughout the baby's time in hospital, various medical professionals attempted to obtain a history of events.

However, Arshad was unable to say how the baby came by his injuries.

Sheriff Keith O'Mahony told her she had inflicted "significant" injuries on the infant.

He said: "It's a tragic situation and I think your remorse is genuine, but I'd be failing in my duty if I didn't sentence you to a custodial sentence."

The court was told that the baby is said to have made a full recovery.