Man found guilty of attempting to murder six-week-old baby

A MAN was convicted today of the "heinous" attempted murder of a defenceless six-week-old boy he was supposed to have been looking after.

Raymond McPhee, 24, pinched the infant, forced something into his mouth and shook him repeatedly.

The High Court in Livingston heard that McPhee, of Moir Crescent, Aberdeen, "didn't give a damn whether the child lived or died".

The baby, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has been left with permanent brain damage.

McPhee had denied the charges he faced, claiming the injuries stemmed from a freak accident in which the boy fell.

But a jury found him guilty of attempting to murder the child while in his care between August 24 and 25 2008 at a property in Aberdeen.

He was also convicted of wilfully neglecting the baby by failing to get him medical treatment, knowing that he had injuries on his face and body and was in pain.

Judge Lord Uist told McPhee: "You have been convicted by the jury of a heinous crime, namely the attempted murder of a six-week-old baby."