Rob Kennedy

Christopher Yates was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to violently shaking his seven-month-old son while intoxicated by alcohol and cocaine. The baby suffered catastrophic brain injuries, seizures, extensive eye haemorrhaging and blindness, and is expected to have a shortened life expectancy. Yates had regained sole custody only three weeks and four days before the attack despite concerns about his drinking, ability to cope and anger. He initially lied to doctors and delayed seeking medical help, while the court heard that the child’s foster parents had previously cared for him from birth and now have him back in their care. The judge said the sentence could not reflect the lifelong devastation caused.