A Dundee man who held a new-born baby boy’s head under water in a bid to drown him has been caged for more than six years after being branded a danger to the public.
After the life threatening attack Jay Dixon woke the child’s sleeping mother to tell her: “I tried to drown him but I stopped myself.”
Dixon appeared for sentence at Livingston High Court after earlier pleading guilty to carrying out a catalogue of “callous” attacks on the baby from birth to just six months old.
The court was told the 23-year-old “frequently” carried out CPR-like compressions on the baby’s chest with such force he was bouncing up and down on the mattress.
In another assault, Dixon lifted the new-born by his neck and began shaking him after becoming frustrated with his crying.
Experts said such assaults could have resulted in “severe and potentially life-threatening injuries”.
Claimed ‘contraception is woman’s responsibility’
Dixon also admitted carrying out courses of vile domestic abuse against two women – including the boy’s mother – between 2021 and 2023.
Passing sentence, Judge Jane Farquharson told the accused: “That you did not inflict serious injury or permanent damage is only as a result of your good luck and not by your design.
“That you continue to be unable to explain your actions towards such a vulnerable child, highlights the dangers that you pose if released back into the community without intervention, and particularly as you have expressed the view that contraception is a woman’s responsibility.”
She highlighted significant aggravations including the age and stage of the baby’s development, the repeated nature of Dixon’s actions and the danger in which they had placed the child.
She also criticised his failure to do anything about his misconduct despite being aware of the injuries that he inflicted on the baby and the steps he had actively taken to hide his actions from others.
Domestic abuse
Turning to his abusive behaviour during his first two-month relationship the judge said: “At 19 years of age you were a year older than your then partner, and she was particularly vulnerable given this was her first intimate relationship.
“You were immature and jealous and controlling of her. The incident that marked the end of this relationship when you pushed her outside in her underwear was particularly humiliating.
“This offence – as laid out in her victim impact statement – continues to have a profound effect on the complainer’s life, both in terms of changing her habits and managing her relationships with family and friends.”
She told Dixon the same pattern of abusive behaviour was “repeated in chillingly familiar detail” across his next intimate relationship after he had turned 20 years of age.
“There is a clear pattern of your coercive control,” the judge said. “Aware of the effect of drink and drugs on your behaviour and the impact that it had on your last relationship, you did nothing to address it and continued to abuse substances.
“I note with concern the victim-blaming narrative and misogynistic views that you expressed to the social worker and that (attitude) needs to be addressed by you.”
Supervision after release
The judge said Dixon’s offending against his second partner was more serious, given its prolonged nature over 12 months and his use of violence while she was pregnant.
She reminded him that he had used weapons to threaten her and prevented her from leaving or calling for help, often while she was holding her baby in her arms.
The judge said the level of abuse he’d inflicted on the young mum had left her isolated from friends and family and had had an ongoing and daily impact on every aspect of her life.
She went on: “This offending reflects your appalling behaviour towards your intimate partners within two successive relationships, and to a new-born boy before his age of just six weeks.
“In sentencing you today considerations of punishment, deterrence and public protection are all material in this case.”
She said the Criminal Justice Social Work report had highlighted that without intervention, the first offender would continue to pose a significant risk of committing more crimes of a seriously harmful nature.
Accordingly, she said a lengthier than normal period of licence following his release from custody was necessary to protect the public – in particular any future intimate partner or child – from the risk of serious harm that he was likely to continue to pose.
She imposed an extended sentence of 75 months imprisonment (six-and-a-quarter years) followed by an extension period of 48 months during which time he will be subject to close monitoring and supervision.
She backdated the prison term to run from the date of Dixon’s initial remand in custody on 21 December 2023.
In addition she imposed non-harassment orders preventing him from contacting either or both of the woman, for 10 years in the case of his first partner and for an indefinite period in the case of the second.
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