A Scottish man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after brutally assaulting a baby, leaving the child with severe injuries. Mark Tannahill, 38, from Ayrshire, was convicted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in March for abusing a baby over a three-month period. The violent assaults left the child with broken ribs and a fractured skull.
The poor baby, whose identity is being protected, lost her mother to cancer just eight weeks after birth. Her mother was only 30 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and despite delivering the baby at 34 weeks and bravely fighting the disease, she succumbed to cancer in August 2021.
After the sentencing, Sheriff Bissett said: “This is an appalling offence. The jury convicted you of subjecting a tiny, helpless infant to a series of assaults over a six-week period, resulting in severe injury and the endangerment of her life. This court heard evidence that the child had sustained multiple fractures to her skull and ribs, injury to her brain, and bruising to different parts of her body.”
Sheriff Bissett also criticized Tannahill for repeatedly denying responsibility and for falsely accusing other family members of causing the injuries. He said, “Not only have you refused to take any responsibility for your actions in severely injuring this child, you have sought to cast suspicion upon other members of her family.”
The grandmother of the abused child, who ultimately rescued her, spoke out against Tannahill, calling him a “monster” and hoping he remains in prison for a long time. The grandmother had noticed signs of abuse while her daughter was in the hospital battling cancer.
The toddler, now approaching her third birthday, is reportedly doing well and living with her grandmother. She said: “The jury found him guilty the day after Mother’s Day. That was the best Mother’s Day present I could have ever asked for.”
