John Doak, of Spalding, Lincolnshire, admitted the manslaughter of his teenage son who died as a result of injuries he allegedly suffered as a baby
A dad has been jailed for three years for the manslaughter of his son who he shook as a baby, leading to the child’s death almost 15 years later.
Jack Doak Mitchell was four months old when his then 18-year-old father John Doak shook him and caused him serious injuries on May 22 2001 in Laindon in Essex.
A judge said that only the defendant knows exactly what happened, as he was alone with the child when the incident happened.
But David Emanuel, mitigating at Chelmsford Crown Court, said that according to an expert report “what probably happened was the loss of control temporarily while trying to stop him crying”.
Jack suffered severe brain damage, required 24-hour care, was blind and unable to talk, had limited ability to move and had a “very poor… if non-existent” quality of life as a result of the assault, judge Mr Justice Cavanagh said on Monday.
