A 29-year old Co Armagh man was been handed a life sentence after he was found guilty by a jury of murdering his son.
After deliberating for over six hours, the jury at Belfast Crown Court convicted Craig Rowland of murdering his son Lewis Oliver Rowland, who died aged three in October 2018.
The youngster sustained life-changing brain injuries in November 2015 after being violently shaken by his father when he was aged 13-weeks.
Rowland displayed no emotion as he stood in the dock on Wednesday when the guilty verdict - by a majority of 11 to one - was delivered.
He was addressed by Mr Justice O’Hara, who told him: “The jury has found you guilty of the murder of Lewis in October 2018.
“As a result of the fact that you have been found guilty of murder, I must pass a sentence of life imprisonment on you.
“There will be a hearing as soon as possible as to what the minimum time you will spend in prison is before you are considered for release by the Parole Commissioners.
“I sentence you now to life imprisonment.”
Rowland nodded at the judge, who then thanked the jury their attention and service.
Saying “this has not been an easy case to hear” as it involved “the killing of an infant”, Mr Justice O’Hara told them that information would be provided to them if they required help or support.
He added: “Now your role in this case is over. Thank you very much again for your contribution and your dedication to this case. You are now free to go.”
As the eight men and four women of the jury made their way from court, Rowland shouted “the verdict is a f*****g joke”.
Pre-sentence reports will be compiled and the judge set the date for the tariff hearing as December 17.
In a trial spanning four weeks, the jury heard that on November 20, 2015, Rowland and Laura Graham (31) brought their 13-week old son to Craigavon Area Hospital.
They told medics their son had been unsettled and unwell and they put him in his buggy, walking three miles from their Portadown home to the hospital, which took around an hour, and didn’t call an ambulance as they had no phone.
The gravely ill baby underwent a CT scan revealing serious brain injuries which resulted in a permanent and severe disability.
Further examinations revealed he had a spinal injury, healing rib fracture and multiple bruises on his neck, head and chest.
Due to the severity of his injuries, Lewis was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast suffering from a bleed to his brain.
He died three years later on 20 October 2018 from complications arising from surgery.
It was the Crown’s case that the “non-accidental” and “catastrophic” brain injuries he suffered in November 2015 - which a number of medical professionals determined were as a result of the baby being shaken - played a significant role in his death.
One doctor described the brain injury he believed was caused by shaking as “one of the “most severe” he has seen in 10 years of practice.
When he gave evidence last week, Rowland admitted telling lies “here and there” to police in the aftermath of his son’s death - but denied injuring his son.
Rowland and Graham admitted a charge of wilfully neglecting their son by failing to obtain timely medical treatment, while Rowland was subsequently charged with murdering his son.
Following the jury’s guilty verdict on the murder charge and the life sentence was imposed, as Rowland was being led into custody, he again shouted “you are all corrupt, there was no evidence”.