Dundee man accused of baby shaking attempted murder tells jury: ‘I think I soothed him too much’

A man accused of attempting to murder a four-month-old baby in Dundee has claimed the child’s catastrophic injuries were caused by too much “soothing”.

Marc Lannen denies deliberately causing the boy to suffer injuries that required life-saving surgery in 2018.

Jurors at the High Court in Dundee previously heard from five doctors, ranging from brain surgeons to a paediatrician, who all said shaking was the most likely mechanism for the injuries.

The child suffered a subdural hematoma – blood collecting between the brain and skull – and a 2cm midline shift in the central line of his brain.

Emergency surgery would normally be performed after a midline shift of 5mm.

Dr Kismet-Hossain Ibrahim – the Ninewells Hospital neurosurgeon who saved the child’s life – said the midline shift was one of the worst he had seen in almost 30 years of practice.

‘High-pitched’ cries

Lannen, 34, claimed he initially startled the child by shouting in celebration at an evening football match on TV.

He was in the living room of a flat with the baby in a bouncer in front of him.

After going into the kitchen to prepare bottles, he said the child produced “high-pitched” crying which was different from normal.

Lannen told the court he tried to “soothe” the child by holding him in his arms, putting him over his shoulder and trying to give him a bottle, all of which failed.

“It’s when I’ve sat down on the sofa that I’ve noticed there’s something wrong,” he said.

“He was a wee bitty clenched, like tucked in. He was pale. I noticed his eyes were rolling back.

“I took him to the bathroom and splashed water in his face. I thought he would maybe come round.

“He was sick in the living room and was sick over himself. I took his clothes off and took my top off to try and warm him. I wrapped him in a towel and put him on the changing mat.

“That’s when I phoned my mum. He was still shallow breathing and still not responsive.”

Defence counsel Michael Meehan KC asked Lannen about a 15-minute window between the boy crying and then stopping after becoming increasingly unwell.

Responding to when this occurred, Lannen said: “When I have been walking around with him on my shoulder.

“I have maybe done it a bit too much and then I have noticed when I have sat down with him that I have seen he’s stopped crying.

“I maybe done it too quick. He would always move about and throw himself about and I would always try to hold him and soothe him the best I could.”

Mr Meehan asked: “You think somehow the way you were soothing him on the right side was too much?”

Lannen replied: “Yeah. I think I soothed him too much. I never physically shook him.”

Panicked phone call to mum

The court heard how Lannen phoned his mum in a “state of panic” instead of phoning an ambulance.

She immediately urged Lannen to phone for help with a paramedic making the decision to rush the boy – who was suffering a seizure – to Ninewells.

Advocate depute Leanne McQuillan questioned Lannen on his version of events.

She asked: “So contrary to what all of these doctors have said, you want the jury to believe these injuries were caused by too much soothing?

“You did something. You shook him. Sustained shaking coupled with slamming onto a sofa or a mattress.

“Everybody says these are not just injuries that can happen from a day-to-day, household event.

“It would have to be a significant accident if it was an accident.”

Lannen replied: “When I have soothed him, I have maybe done it a bit too much. He always moved his head about. It was hard to control him.”

Denies assault

Doctors previously gave evidence saying the extent of the child’s head injury was similar to the victim of a “high velocity” crash or if a child had fallen out of a window.

An MRI scan showed multiple retinal haemorrhages which would not normally have been visible.

Prior to the injuries, the child was healthy with no underlying blood issues.

When asked why he didn’t phone 999 straight away, Lannen said: “I was panicked. I just didn’t really know what was going on.”

Ms McQuillan said: “You decided to phone your mum instead of 999. Is it because you panicked because you knew you were responsible for inflicting these injuries on him?”

Lannen replied: “No.”

Earlier in the day, the child’s mother left the house after a “silly” argument with Lannen about identification for a new phone.

The boy, now aged six, requires additional support at school and is likely to face further issues as he gets older.

The child’s mother previously claimed that Lannen told her the boy had fallen off a couch but he said this was untrue.

Lannen, of Whitfield Rise, denies assaulting the child at an address in Dundee on August 23 2018 by shaking him, inflicting blunt force trauma to the head and cause injury to the head through unknown means.

It is alleged that this caused the child severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment, endangered his life and was an attempt to murder him.

The trial before judge Lord Young continues.

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