DALE THOMSON FROM DUNDEE INFLICTS BRAIN DAMAGE ON BABY GIRL DURING XBOX STRESS FIT
In a distressing case heard at the High Court in Glasgow, Dale Thomson, aged 27, was found responsible for causing severe brain injury to a nine-month-old girl while he was supposed to be caring for her in his Dundee flat.The incident, which took place in April 2018, has left the young victim with lifelong consequences, including impairments affecting her movement, learning, speech, and vision.
According to court proceedings, Thomson was looking after the infant on 1 April after her mother had gone to work.
During this time, he engaged in an online gaming session on his Xbox, playing with a teenage boy.
The court heard that Thomson spent part of the day playing the game, which he described as stressful, especially as he was also exchanging text messages with the child's mother.
Prosecutor Paul Kearney revealed that Thomson had sent a photo of himself playing the console and mentioned the game’s stressful nature, which seemed to reflect his emotional state at the time.
At around 14:55, text messages indicated that everything appeared normal with Thomson and the baby.
However, by 15:42, Thomson was calling emergency services, claiming that the girl’s eyes were rolling and she was not breathing.
Paramedics responded swiftly, and the child was taken to hospital where her condition was assessed.
Relatives were alerted to the emergency, and Thomson initially claimed he had found the girl 'floppy' in her cot.
While hospitalized, the baby experienced seizures, and her condition necessitated a transfer to Edinburgh’s Sick Children’s Hospital.
Medical examinations revealed bleeding on her brain, a result of severe trauma.
Police officers later detained Thomson, who was described as 'angry and very agitated' during questioning.
He denied any involvement in harming the girl and expressed frustration, claiming he was being 'unfairly treated.' Despite his protests, police found evidence that indicated Thomson had violently shaken the child, causing her head to move rapidly back and forth.
The court was informed that the injury inflicted was severe and would have lasting effects on the child's development.
The prosecution emphasized the gravity of the assault, noting that the injury would impact her movement, learning abilities, speech, and vision for the foreseeable future.
Further disturbing details emerged about Thomson’s history of violence.
In October 2010, he had been staying at a Dundee flat with a baby boy and his mother.
Early one morning, the child woke crying, and Thomson, in a rage, grabbed him from his seat, yelling and swearing at the infant.
Witnesses, including the child's mother, described the assault as forceful, almost a dropping motion, with no support for the child's head.
Thomson claimed he was sorry and that his actions were driven by frustration, but police were called to the scene.
As the case awaits sentencing, Lord Burns has deferred the decision pending reports.
Thomson remains in custody, facing serious charges related to the injury of the nine-month-old girl and the earlier incident involving the baby boy in Dundee.
