Man found guilty of baby attack

Loudon was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month

A man from North Lanarkshire is facing a prison sentence after being found guilty of shaking a baby so hard she was left severely brain damaged.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Donald Loudon, 26, of Newmains, was convicted of assaulting the two-month-old child between June and August 2006.

He was also found guilty of kicking the child's mum when she was pregnant.

Judge Ian Peebles QC remanded Loudon in custody and deferred sentence until next month for reports.

The court had heard how the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was examined at Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children.

Consultant paediatrician, Dr Andrew Watt, said that scans showed "very extensive" and "irreversible" brain damage.

'Severely disabled'

The girl also had fractures to her ribs, legs and arm.

The court was told some of the fractures were caused by "rotational force" of the limb or twisting.

Dr Watt said it would be expected the child would be "severely disabled" as a result.

He added that due to the bleeding on the brain and the fractures, it was "more likely" the brain injury was caused by shaking.

The court also heard evidence via video-link from the baby's seven-year-old sister.

She described how she had seen Loudon shaking her.

The girls' mother also gave evidence and called Loudon a "dirty liar" for trying to shift the blame for the injuries to her.