**Mother Shares Ordeal as Baby Injured by Father in Devastating Case of Abuse**
A mother in Wales has spoken out about the harrowing ordeal her family endured after her newborn baby sustained life-threatening injuries while in the care of their biological father, Dafydd Rutherford. The incident, which left the infant with lasting medical problems, has prompted calls for greater awareness of the dangers of violently shaking babies—and has exposed failures in both emergency and hospital responses to suspected child abuse.
The case unfolded when the mother, referred to as Hannah (not her real name), left her baby in the care of Rutherford, believing their child would be safe while she made a brief trip to the shops. On her return, she was immediately alarmed by her baby’s unusual breathing and instinctively sought medical help. Her decision to act quickly almost certainly saved her child’s life.
Medical examinations later revealed the baby had suffered four brain bleeds and other injuries. Doctors were initially concerned the infant might not survive, and it soon became clear the child would face ongoing health complications. The gravity of the injuries led police to launch an investigation, during which both parents were arrested and prohibited from unsupervised contact with their own child or any other children under sixteen.
Throughout the investigation, Rutherford denied any wrongdoing, even going so far as to blame a family dog for the injuries. It was only after medical specialists determined the injuries were consistent with shaking that he finally admitted to shaking the child “three or four times” out of frustration, confessing to causing the injuries himself. Rutherford’s admission exonerated Hannah, but not before she endured months of suspicion and anguish.
Reflecting on the events, Hannah described feeling utterly betrayed. “Before that point he was absolutely fine,” she said. “I didn’t see any aggression in him; if that was the case I wouldn’t have left the baby with him.” Rutherford’s behaviour after the incident aroused retrospective suspicion, but at the time, she said, there were few clear warning signs.
The handling of the incident by emergency responders and hospital staff has also come under scrutiny. On the day of the injury, paramedics reportedly attributed the baby’s symptoms to “colic and over-feeding” and recommended Hannah take her child to hospital herself. The Welsh Ambulance Service has since expressed “sincere regret” and initiated a review of their response. At hospital, a scan to confirm brain bleeding was not conducted until around twelve hours after the child’s arrival—time the family believes was critical.
Hannah and Rutherford spent nearly a year living under suspicion, both on bail with severe restrictions on contact with their own child and other youngsters. During this time, the baby’s condition remained grave. “It was so scary. We all went to Cardiff but we couldn’t see [the baby] because we needed supervised access,” Hannah recalled. “The police came and took our phones off us which put me into a panic.” Eventually, the baby recovered enough to return home, but now faces increased medical needs and missed developmental milestones.
Following Rutherford’s guilty plea to causing grievous bodily harm without intent, he was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to two years and four months in prison. He is expected to serve half his sentence in custody. While Hannah is relieved he is behind bars, she says no sentence can undo the pain inflicted. “My baby is now in and out of hospital,” she said. “What he did shattered so much – trust, safety, innocence.”
Both the Welsh Ambulance Service and Swansea Bay University Health Board have issued apologies, acknowledging shortcomings in both the advice and care provided in this case. The ambulance service is reviewing its procedures, and the health board has pledged they have “learned from this” and offered sympathies to the family, stressing safeguarding procedures were correctly followed.
Hannah has chosen to speak publicly, both to warn others about risks to children—even from those closest to them—and to press for systemic changes in how such incidents are handled. “The thought that my little baby was seriously harmed by the person who should have protected [them] is unbearable,” she said. “It broke something in me that I’m still trying to rebuild.”
The case remains a stark illustration of the devastating and lasting impact of non-accidental injury in infants, the importance of timely intervention, and the need for vigilance from both families and professionals alike.