A Peterhead man has been jailed after inflicting “extremely severe” injuries to a toddler who suffered serious head trauma.
Robert Wilson, 27, was convicted of severely wounding and wilfully neglecting the young boy.
He was left with dozens of injuries and bruising that was consistent with those of a “shaken baby”.
The alarm was raised by medical experts who had examined the child and found 51 separate injuries.
Doctors described them as “extremely severe” but Wilson told police that the toddler had fallen down a set of stairs while playing a game of “peekaboo”.
Wilson, who also goes by the nickname Jib, faced one charge that he assaulted the child by repeatedly striking the toddler on the head and body at an address in Peterhead, causing severe injury and danger to life.
The toddler was found to have red retinal haemorrhaging, blood behind the eyes, bruising to his back and significant head trauma.
A second charge stated that Wilson caused the child unnecessary pain and suffering by failing to seek medical attention, which exposed the child to the risk of severe illness or death.
It took a jury of eight men and seven women just over two hours to find Wilson guilty of both charges at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Wilson claimed toddler fell down stairs
During the trial, jurors were shown footage of Wilson’s police interview following the incident on February 16 2019.
He was quizzed about injuries to the child’s back that were consistent with “classic bruising for shaken baby”.
However, Wilson maintained that the toddler had “fallen down the stairs and got a carpet burn”.
Detective Constable Craig Dalton put to Wilson that it was the opinion of the chief medical doctor that the child’s injuries “were the result of physical abuse”.
“I would never hurt a kid, that’s not how it went down,” Wilson responded. “You’re basically saying I battered the bairn.”
During his final speech to the jury, fiscal depute Brian Young told jurors that Wilson had ignored the advice of three friends and family members who told him the infant required medical attention.
The convicted child abuser was bought back to court from his cell for sentencing, following the preparation of background reports.
Wilson’s defence solicitor David Moggach said his client had sought advice about the child’s injuries at the time.
He also stated it was “significant that doctors couldn’t age and date the child’s injuries”.
Sheriff Andrew Miller said Wilson was described during the trial as a “good dad” to his own child.
“But this [other] child’s mother entrusted them to your care,” he added. “You can deny your guilt, as is your right, however, the jury rejected your defence that you didn’t neglect the child.”
Wilson – who is currently serving a prison sentence in HMP Grampian for assault and danger to life – was sentenced to serve a further three years in prison.
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