Baby shaker jailed

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A MAN who shook a baby girl so hard she developed bleeding on the brain has been jailed for three years.

Anthony Scott Nalder yesterday pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm in the Hervey Bay District Court.

The baby was two months old when Nalder "vigorously" shook her and she suffered an acute subdural haematoma, or blood build-up, on the left side of her brain.

This led to poor blood flow and caused the infant to have seizures.

She also sustained extensive retinal haemorrhaging in both eyes.

Nalder, 29, who had a history of domestic violence, shook the tiny girl after an argument with her mother on June 19 last year.

Two days later, the baby began having seizures and was taken to Hervey Bay Hospital by ambulance, before being transferred to the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane.

The court heard yesterday that doctors had said that without treatment the girl would have died.

They said her injuries were consistent with "shaken baby syndrome", similar to whiplash and brought about by "acceleration and deceleration forces".

The child was still suffering some vision impairment, the court heard, and other developmental delays.

Whether she had sustained any permanent injuries was not yet known.

Nalder, who was described to the court as being of "slow" intelligence, had a criminal history of assaults and breaching domestic violence orders.

He had been in custody since his arrest on June 22.

Defence barrister Don MacKenzie told the court his client had received adverse publicity since the crime and had been "confronted" in jail.

"People who are charged with these offences are treated very badly in custody," he said.

Judge Hugh Botting sentenced Nalder to three years, with a parole release date of June 21.