Dundee boy sentenced to prison for attempted murder

A man who shook his baby too hard, causing life-changing brain damage, has been jailed for 12 years.

Marc Lannen was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after being found guilty of attempting to murder the boy in Dundee in 2018.

Lannen claimed she became ill because she was “soothing” her baby too much while holding him on her shoulder.

However, five doctors concluded that the injuries were not an accident and were the result of “abusive head trauma”.

The offense occurred while the 34-year-old was looking after the baby at a property in Dundee.

Judge Lord Young told Lannen: “The baby’s life was saved thanks to the skills of the neurological team at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, but he was left with the consequences of this injury.

“There is nothing in your past that indicates why you committed this crime.”

The judge said it would be years before the “true extent” of the impact on the child was known, but the child would likely be left with some form of permanent disability.

Jurors at the trial in Dundee heard how paramedics believed the boy had been shaken violently for a long period of time.

One said his brain damage was as bad as he had seen in his nearly 30-year career as a doctor.

It was stated that the child could die within a few hours if he did not receive vital treatment.

The child now needs additional support at school and needs to be assessed regularly by a consultant paediatrician.