Man who attempted to suffocate baby jailed

Shane Heighway was spotted on a baby monitor as he attempted to suffocate the eight-month-old baby who was sleeping

A man has been jailed for attempting to suffocate a sleeping eight-month-old baby in what police described as a "violent and unprovoked assault".

Shane Heighway, of Porth-y-Waen in Oswestry, pleaded guilty to child cruelty and intentional suffocation at a previous hearing, on 30 June.

The 38-year-old, who was spotted on a baby monitor as he carried out the attack in August 2024, was sentenced to 26 months in prison by a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Medical evidence in the case indicated it was lucky the injuries the baby sustained were not fatal.

Det Con Daniel Bushell, from West Mercia Police, said: "This is one of the most horrendous things I have ever seen, not only in my career, but my life."

On Thursday, the court was told Heighway was seen "forcefully taking the baby from the cot before assaulting them and covering their face with his hands".

The baby's mother reported the attack to police, as soon as she saw on the monitor what he was doing.

'Dangerous man behind bars'

Det Con Bushell described the attack as "sickening" and added: "As a police officer we expect to witness terrible things, however, this footage will be something that sticks with me for a long time."

He said the sentence meant a "dangerous man has been put behind bars" and hoped the sentence "goes some way to helping everybody move forward after this awful event".

But he also said: "I would ask anyone who read the details of this case to remember that behind every case number, beyond every headline and beyond the initial anger that this case provokes, is a real story involving real people, who have suffered greatly."