A young parent "felt like an awful mother" after leaving her baby in the care of a violent teenager - who caused him to break his leg. Cameron Shaw, then 19, also fractured the five-month old infant's ribs by slamming him down on the floor in frustration. A court heard Shaw had tried to force the child's leg into a baby grow and, though the femur is "one of the strongest bones in the body", caused the significant injury.

The tot's mum heard a "loud, haunting, scream" - in a way "she had never heard before" - and so she dashed to see what had happened. She told Shaw she was taking the baby to hospital, but he tried to convince her there was no need and the child was fine. The mother ignored him and took the baby to A&E, where it was discovered the child had suffered a buckle fracture beneath the knee. Tom Roberts, prosecuting, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court the injury could have been caused by the child's knee being "pulled or twisted hard" or the child being "slammed down on a hard surface". Shaw has now been jailed for 22 months. The defendant also made the defendant subject to a restraining order for 10 years.

The baby had also fractured his ribs, an injury consistent with having been caused in the same incident as the broken femur. The baby's mother told the court in a victim impact statement: "Cameron has stolen my child's childhood from me, I couldn't hold (them) because he was too fragile. It made me very unwell, I couldn't sleep or function well after the incident. I feel afraid around men and (the baby) is not comfortable around men....

"(The baby) got placed on the child protection register which made me feel like an awful mother and I suffered severely with guilt and sickness. I think every night what could have happened to (the baby) if I had not walked into that room when I did. I am worried about (the baby) suffering from mobility issues due to the injuries he suffered at a young age. "Cameron made me feel embarrassed and people said I was a bad mother due to rumours spreading about me as people didn't know what actually happened. I felt demoralised walking around my hometown with (the baby) in a cast at five-months-old, knowing what happened to (them).... All I want is closure and justice for (the baby). My life will never be the same and it makes me paranoid going out with (the baby).".

Shaw, from Aberdare, south Wales, admitted section 20 wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent. He did so on the basis he "momentarily became frustrated" and put the baby down with "too much force". Shaw said he did not mean to cause the child serious harm but admitted to squeezing the baby hard. The court heard he was of previous good character, reports Wales Online. The defendant, now aged 22, had a difficult upbringing with his father being abusive towards his mother, the court was told. His father assaulted his mother while she was pregnant with him, leading to him suffering a brain injury. The court heard the defendant's mother was a heavy drug user and he spent time in and out of care, was homeless and lived in a forest for a period.