Northampton man jailed for attempted murder of a baby
Paramedics called to a flat in Victoria Road in January of this year.
A man convicted of trying to kill a baby in a ‘vengeful’ attack has been jailed for 16 years.
On January 2 this year, paramedics called to a flat in Victoria Road, Northampton, found Radoslaw Zurek with serious self-inflicted wounds alongside a nine-month-old child in a baby bouncer covered with a blanket.
While Zurek, aged 29, received emergency treatment and was taken to hospital, one of the Response officers from Northamptonshire Police also insisted on an immediate examination of the baby, which revealed marks on the child’s face and neck.
Extensive hospital checks showed the baby had bruising around both sides of the neck and spots called petechiae on the face where capillaries had burst, consistent with strangulation, and Zurek was arrested and later charged with attempted murder.
Having given a no comment interview to police, he also declined to give evidence at his trial at Northampton Crown Court in July, where jurors found him guilty of the offence.
Yesterday, Tuesday, October 8, Zurek returned to the same court for sentencing, where he received a 16-year custodial sentence.
In mitigation, the court heard Zurek was of previous good character with no previous convictions, with the attack described as ‘an aberration’ which happened whilst he was ‘in the grip of a depressive episode’.
The neck injury was detailed as one that could cause loss of consciousness within 10 seconds and death within a few minutes.
Sentencing, Judge Rupert Mayo called the attack on the child ‘vengeful’ and said it was aggravated by the abuse of trust involved.
He told Zurek that his mental state did not mean he was unable to make rational choices or understand the consequences of his actions.
He added: “You still bear a degree of responsibility for your decision to kill the child by strangulation.
“You do not appear to have insight into your offending and your motivation to address it may be limited.”
Speaking afterwards, investigating officer Detective Constable Emily Faulkner of the Force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) West, said: “I’m pleased with the sentence passed to Radoslaw Zurek. This sentence comes as the result of huge amount of work across our team, in particular the work of my colleague DC Evie Mugridge from CAIU West, and the wider Force.
“I’m glad it was recognised that whilst Zurek was in a depressive state, the evidence still points to the fact he made a decision to kill this baby and, thinking the baby was dead, tried to kill himself.
“Our team is dedicated to safeguarding children and bringing those who cause harm to justice. From the actions of the officer at the scene whose instinct that the child could have been harmed was proved correct, throughout our investigation and this court case, that purpose has been fulfilled and justice has been secured for this child.”
She added her thanks to all involved in the investigation.