Killer dad left five-week old baby son blind and brain damaged in 'fit of rage'

A five-week-old baby boy was horrifically left blind and brain damagedby his killer dad.

Mehmet Tufan left his baby boy with catastrophic injuries after he violently shook the baby in an horror act of rage when his girlfriend was on a night out. The killer father took his anger out on the tragicchild when he was in "frustration or anger" after arguing with his partner via text. Tufan had attacked the months old boy when the mum, 22 at the time, was said to have gone out with friends. The baby, Leo Tufan, later died aged four after the brutal attack left him with permanent disabilities.

The dad, 23 at the time, had been left to look after baby Leo alone for the evening in April 2018, when he unleashed his "anger" on his own child. The dad yesterday burst into tears as he admitted his son's manslaughter.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Tufan then called an ambulance for Leo shortly after 1.30am, stating he was not breathing and had a hair stuck in his throat. He described the baby as "choking and sweating profusely", with paramedics discovering him "blue and lifeless", reports the Liverpool Echo.

Zillah Williams, prosecuting, detailed how they were however able to resuscitate Leo and rushed him to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. He was placed into intensive care with "an extensive brain injury, blood in his spinal cord and extensive retinal haemorrhages".

Despite Tufan's claims, doctors suspected that the baby's injuries had not been inflicted accidentally and had been sustained "most likely due to being shaken with considerable force". But the dad told police officers at the hospital that Leo had "started making a funny choking noise, so he checked his mouth and removed a hair", after which the new born "went very quiet and didn’t appear to be breathing, so he grabbed him and slapped his back".

Tufan recalled that he then "panicked and shook his son" and "threw him on the bed so he could call an ambulance". Detectives later found a series of messages exchanged between him and the baby's mum on the evening in question, with Ms Williams telling the court: "It appeared that the defendant was becoming increasingly frustrated and anxious with his partner being out with her friends."

Under interview, Tufan stated that he had become "upset about a lad approaching his girlfriend in a bar" and said "once I start worrying, I can't really control it". He later demonstrated having shaken his son for around three to four seconds with the use of a doll.

Experts concluded this would have been capable of causing Leo's brain injury, but disputed the contention that a hair could have blocked his airway. Ms Williams added: "The prosecution's case is that the defendant assaulted his son by forcefully shaking him in moments of either frustration or anger. The length of time taken to inflict these injuries would have been a matter of seconds."

Leo's devastated mum meanwhile stated that she had lived at the hospital with her son for four months in the aftermath and had "prepared herself for his death". His breathing incubator was turned off at once stage, although he ultimately survived and moved into his grandma's home after an extension was built at the address in order to cater for his extensive needs.

The youngster was said to have been left "effectively blind" and reliant on the use of a wheelchair due to being unable to use his legs. He also had to be fed through a tube and required daily physiotherapy.

Tufan, who admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm in connection with the assault, had no previous convictions at this stage. His counsel Janet Ironfield told the court that her client was "immature for his age" but had shown "genuine and profound remorse", adding: "He has lost the opportunity to parent his son normally. His son has lost the opportunity to live a normal life."

Jailing him for two years in 2019, Judge Robert Warnock said: "While in sole charge of your son, you became jealous at the absence of the mother and treated and handled your son wholly inappropriately so as significantly to injure him. The consequences for your son have been appalling."

Tragically, Leo subsequently passed away at the age of four on December 14 2022. Tufan, of Dovecot Place, Dovecot, was then charged with his manslaughter earlier this year. The 30-year-old appeared back before the same court yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, in order to face this single count. Wearing a grey coat over a white shirt and sporting short dark hair, he spoke to confirm his name and date of birth before pleading guilty to the offence.

Tufan then became tearful and placed his head into his hands as Ms Ironfield said on his behalf: "My lord, I invite the court to consider the adjournment of sentence. It may be that the court would be assisted by input from probation about the defendant's background in the intervening period."

Ms Ironfield, who also asked for the completion of a doctor's report concerning Tufan's mental health, referenced a basis of plea concerning a "momentarily loss of control, and essentially being reckless or having a reckless disregard for safety at that time". He will now be sentenced on September 2, and was released on conditional bail until this date.