A DAD who left his his four-week baby son blind and brain damaged before he later died has been jailed.
Mehmet Tufan, 30, inflicted a “catastrophic” injury on newborn Leo Williams in April 2018 at a property in Kirkby, Merseyside.
Leo Williams was left blind and unable to use his legs after being shaken by his father at four-weeks old
Mehmet Tufan, 30, has been jailed for six-and-a-half years
The infant was rushed to hospital at 1.48am after his dad, then 23, violently shook him “in frustration” while arguing with his girlfriend.
Leo went into cardiac arrest but paramedics managed to resuscitate the baby and took him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
was left blind and unable to use his legs after the horror.
The tot was admitted into intensive care but had “an extensive brain injury, blood in his spinal cord and extensive retinal haemorrhages”.
He was left blind and unable to use his legs after the horror.
Leo sadly died at the age of four in December 2022 at Claire House Hospice from the injuries he had sustained at the hands of Tufan.
Tufan was previously sentenced to two years in jail in June 2019 for Section 20 assault.
But after Leo’s death a further investigation was launched, which saw the defendant admit manslaughter.
Leo’s mum said in her Victim Personal Statement: “Life will never be the same without Leo. He was my everything and in a way he still is. I suffered greatly following this incident but knew I had to get up each day and continue fighting just like my boy.
“Leo kept going. I will forever walk around with a piece of my heart missing, hoping that this piece will be replaced when we meet again in a world where Leo no longer has pain, where he is free to run up to me and hug me just like it always should have been.
“I will miss you forever my beautiful boy.”
She added: “My world completely shattered that day. Even to this day, everything still feels like a blur. I can’t process or comprehend the devastation and trauma that Mehmet caused.
“Leo was just five weeks old when you attacked him. I want you to know how Leo struggled. I need you to know how he was left to live after that night. I lived every single day caring for Leo making him as comfortable and as loved as he possibly could be.
“It was incredibly painful for me and my family to see Leo in so much pain and suffering and knowing I could not take that pain way from him.”
Tufan appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday where a judge sentenced him to six-and-a-half years behind bars.
Detective Sergeant David Bruce said: “This is a truly tragic case that resulted in the loss of a courageous young boy.
“When Leo was only a baby, he sustained life changing injuries at the hands of the very person who should have been keeping him safe.
“Tufan was alone when he was supposed to be caring for his son. Instead, his actions left Leo in intensive care for months.
“The injuries sustained by Leo changed his life and also the lives of his family, who continued to love and care for him in the most challenging of circumstances until the very end.
“It’s heart-breaking that Leo passed away at such a young age when he had his whole life ahead of him. Our thoughts remain with his family as they continue to grieve this unimaginable loss.”
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