Father seriously injured son, judge finds

The judge told the father he could not place not trust in what he said

A father dropped or shook on his baby son then tried to cover it up by saying he was too drunk to remember what happened, a judge ruled.

The father was found to be the sole adult carer for the boy at the time he suffered serious head injuries, which led to multiple operations.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead took the case to court to find out who was responsible for the baby’s injuries and he was put in temporary foster care.

Judge Richard Case said the father "engaged in a deliberate and cynical attempt” to avoid admitting his actions.

Slough Family Court heard that the father's dishonesty during investigations was “extensive” and the judge said he “could place no weight at all” on what he told him.

The father was looking after the baby because his partner, the boy’s mother, was elsewhere, the court was told.

The man was a habitual cocaine user who said he could sometimes drink up to 30 cans of beer a week.

He said he could not recall what had injured his son, even after it became evident that he was seriously hurt days later.

Penny Howe KC, for the boy’s mother, told the court that what the man did was “unforgivable”.

She said his actions unfairly cast suspicion on other people “all because [he] was too cowardly to own his own behaviours and accept responsibility”.