Minder Killed Baby By Shaking Her Court Told

Source - The Telegraph

A childminder killed a baby girl in her care by shaking her violently, a court heard yesterday.
Keran Henderson, 42, is said to have shaken Maeve Sheppard so violently that she was blinded and suffered terminal brain damage. She died in hospital two days later. Henderson, who was looking after the 11-month-old and other children at her home in Iver Heath, Bucks, told ambulance staff that Maeve had suffered a sudden fit as she changed her nappy advertisement

But the jury at Reading Crown Court was told that there was no medical evidence to support this claim. Henderson, a registered childminder, was employed by Ruth Sheppard, 36, and her toolmaker husband Mark, 38, to mind their only child, following a recommendation from a local playgroup. She was described as "very good with children" and was used by a number of parents.

On the morning of March 2, 2005, Henderson dialled 999, telling the operator that Maeve had suffered a seizure, was limp and had sunken eyes. A hospital examination found that the child was suffering from bilateral retinal haemorrhaging — bleeding behind both eyes. It was concluded that this was caused by either shaking or a shaking impact.

There was no evidence of external injury to cause the condition, said Joanna Glynn, for the prosecution. Maeve's parents were told there was no hope of a recovery and they had her christened in hospital hours before they agreed to her life support machine being switched off.

"The cause of death was given as head and neck injuries and it is the prosecution's case that these injuries were non-accidental," said Miss Glynn.

"It is our case that Mrs Henderson violently shook Maeve and the medical evidence is that that act caused Maeve's death."

Maeve had been unwell in the weeks before her death, but this did not explain the injury to her brain. She was said to have been "whizzing around" in her walker only hours before she was taken to hospital. Continued here.