A former naval officer from Fife who almost killed two babies by squeezing them has been jailed for five years.
Andrew Forsyth was convicted of assaulting two infants between 2016 and 2018, to “severe injury and danger of life.”
At various properties in Fife, Forsyth was found to have assaulted the youngsters.
Jurors took around an hour last month to come to a unanimous decision to find Forsyth, 39, of Glenderval Place in Glenrothes, guilty of both charges.
The children’s mother, who gave evidence during the trial, said one child had “burst all the blood vessels in his face”.
Forsyth claimed it had ben the result of constipation.
In prison protection wing
Forsyth appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link on Thursday to be sentenced, having been remanded after the jury returned their verdict earlier this month.
His defence solicitor David Taylor said that post-release, his client would probably be unable to rejoin the Navy due to his age and the conviction.
He also suggested Forsyth will be treated in a similar way to sex offenders while in prison and is already under protection just weeks into his time in custody.
He added: “This will certainly significantly affect Mr Forsyth’s ability to gain employment.
“He’s within the protection wing of the prison.
“It is likely he will lose friends and family.”
Accused’s lies called out
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane opted not to pass the matter to High Court judges for a potentially harder sentence.
Instead, she handed Forsyth the maximum sentence available to her of five years.
She told him: “Mr Forsyth, I have no idea – and this report does not help me – no idea, what was going through your head or your heart as you squeezed so hard that you fractured not just one, not just two but multiple ribs and caused damage to his liver.
“Of course, you blamed the mother, putting her through the hell of that.”
Sheriff McFarlane pointed out Forsyth was not believed by the police, hospital staff, jurors or her, having overseen the trial.
