Rob Kennedy

Christopher Yates was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to violently shaking his seven-month-old son while intoxicated by 11 cans of Foster’s lager and cocaine. The assault caused severe brain injuries, seizures, eye hemorrhaging and permanent blindness. Yates delayed seeking medical help, initially lied about what happened, and had previously shown signs that he was struggling to care for the child. The baby survived and returned to his foster family, but will require lifelong medication and care. The judge described the consequences as catastrophic and irreversible, while the defense cited Yates’s lack of coping skills, childhood violence and mental-health problems.