INFLICTED INJURIES ON FOUR WEEK OLD SON
A man who inflicted lifelong, devastating injuries on his four-week-old son during a brutal assault has faced abuse and harassment in prison after his crimes were exposed.In April, Christopher Fulton, aged 35 and residing in Rockfield Gardens, Mosside, near Ballymoney, was handed a 22-year prison sentence after being convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of child cruelty.
His wife, Amanda Fulton, 36, was also found guilty of allowing or causing physical harm to a child and cruelty.
The judge sentenced her to four years behind bars, with two years on license, citing her failure to protect her son despite knowing her husband was capable of causing serious injury.
During her trial last year, it was revealed that when the baby was brought to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, doctors discovered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture, bleeding in the brain and retinas, a liver wound, nearly 30 rib fractures, and fractures to both legs.
Now six years old, the boy suffers from severe dystonic cerebral palsy, is effectively blind, has an intellectual disability, and epilepsy.
He can only communicate through crying, which he cannot be comforted from, and requires a feeding tube for nutrition.
These health issues severely limit his life.
The court described his injury severity as similar to a high-speed car crash.
Sources indicate that once Fulton was identified and his crimes became public knowledge, he was targeted with ridicule and physical assaults by fellow inmates.
He is reportedly in distress most nights, crying alone in his cell due to relentless bullying.
He has been assaulted physically, with inmates hitting and kicking him, and has pleaded with prison guards to keep him safe.
Disdain for him extends even to sex offenders, illustrating the hostile environment he faces in prison.
