A man has been jailed for a sickening attack on a baby who was so severely injured that they were left blind in both eyes and with cerebral palsy.
A man who punched and shook a baby until it was blind and severely disabled has been jailed.
Connor James Hume, now 22, hit the child in the head, leaving it “in a dark world”, blind in both eyes and with cerebral palsy. Hume, from Durham in northeast England, launched his sickening attack against the helpless infant when he was 18. Last month, the UK’s Northern Echo reported that he was convicted in a UK court of causing or allowing serious physical harm to a child.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, the child’s full-time carer said the baby’s “healthy and carefree life was robbed from them”. The baby’s blindness meant it would never see “the magic of Christmas”, while the ordeal would “forever hinder and restrict their ability to live a fulfilled life”. “They went from a healthy baby with their whole life ahead of them to a child who faces constant daily struggles due to their severe physical and cognitive disabilities alongside complex needs,” the carer said.
“What saddens us the most is how isolated and dark their world is due to having no vision.
“They are now at a level where they would be starting to understand the world but will never witness the magic of childhood, such as seeing Santa Claus, the snow, or Christmas lights twinkling.
“They will never know how colorful the world around them is.
“They will never go on a group holiday, university, or restaurant. Most importantly, they can verbally tell those around them they love them. “ The carer said they hoped Hume used his prison spell to reflect on his crimes while the child endures a “life sentence”.
Hume was sentenced to eight years and ten months in jail.
Sentencing him, Judge James Adkin said: “I’m sure that you lost your temper and struck them hard in the head and shook them vigorously.
“You caused a significant front right hematoma, which damaged their brain irreparably and needed emergency surgery. “You caused so many hemorrhages in both of their retinas that the doctors stopped counting, and they very nearly died. “You went for help from a neighbor but then started to lie, which you have done continually throughout proceedings, no doubt ashamed and afraid of what you have done. “A perfectly well the baby is now blind in both eyes, has cerebral palsy due to brain damage, and requires constant 24-hour care.”
Half of Hume’s sentence will be non-parole.
Detective Chief Superintendent Adrian Green, who led the investigation for Durham Constabulary, said: “I am pleased that, following the persistence of a very professional and dedicated investigation team, someone has finally been brought to justice for the horrific injuries and suffering caused to this child.”
