Father jailed for murder of 11-week-old son in Boston
He will spend 23 years behind bars
A father from Boston has been jailed for 23 years, after being convicted of the murder of his 11-week-old son in 2019.
Haroldas Bugaila was also found guilty of a previous serious assault against baby Martinas, and two serious assaults against the baby's twin.
The second child has sustained life-changing injuries.
The 29-year-old, of Granville Street in Boston, denied the four charges, but was convicted after a six week trial at Lincoln Crown Court.
An "incredibly difficult enquiry" for Police
Lincoln Crown Court heard Bugaila was arrested on suspicion of murder after baby Martinas was rushed to Boston Pilgrim Hospital on 27th March 2019.
The baby had become unwell at the family home in Granville Street, Boston and was taken to the hospital by the baby’s mother.
The boy was later transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, where his injuries were so severe that the decision was made to withdraw his life support. He sadly died six days later, on 2nd April 2019.
Baby Martinas was diagnosed with a severe brain injury, which was shown to be as a result of an assault.
"The two officers in the case worked under a tremendous amount of pressure"
Detective Superintendent Karl Whiffen from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) said: “Today at Lincoln Crown Court Haroldas Bugaila has been sentenced to 23 years for the murder of Martinas Bugaila and the serious assault of his twin, who has sustained life changing injuries which will require care for the remainder of life. He has also been sentenced for previous serious assaults on both children that were only discovered after review by expert paediatric specialists.
"This has been an incredibly difficult enquiry for the EMSOU homicide investigation team, which has taken almost two and a half years to reach its conclusion. Gathering evidence from expert witnesses in a case such as this can literally take years to ensure that we present a coherent and compelling case that enables the jury to reach a conclusive verdict as they have done in this case.
"The emotive nature of child death cases means that the investigation team, and in particular the two officers in the case, worked under a tremendous amount of pressure in the knowledge that should we not hold Haroldas Bugaila accountable, he would be free to offend again and it would be tremendously difficult to mitigate the threat this man presents.
"I’m tremendously proud of all of the officers who have worked on this case, from those who attended the harrowing initial scene, to all of the investigation team. Tragically it is a case that none of them will forget but thankfully they can all reflect on the fact that this man will not be free to offend again. Our sincerest hope is that the surviving twin will continue to recover."