Jealous Dad ‘Violently’ Shook Baby, Who Died 4 Years Later. Now He’s Heading to Prison

A man in England has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison after his son died four years following “catastrophic” brain injuries caused by being violently shaken.

Mehmet Tufan, 30, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, Sept. 29, after pleading guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of his son, Leo Williams. The infant was just four weeks old on April 14, 2018, when the incident occurred, according to Merseyside Police.

At the time, the boy’s mother was out with friends, and Tufan was alone at home with Leo in Kirkby, Merseyside, the Liverpool Echo reported.

A series of text messages exchanged between Tufan and the boy’s mother prior to the incident allegedly suggested he was “increasingly frustrated with and anxious about her being out with her friends,” the Manchester Evening News reported. He also reportedly messaged one of her friends after seeing a “Snapchat video of a ‘lad asking her to dance,’” according to the Evening Standard.

Paramedics were contacted by Tufan just before 2 a.m. on April 14, when he claimed the infant was unresponsive due to a hair being lodged in his throat, Birmingham Live reported.

Police confirmed the boy had suffered serious, “life-changing” injuries as a result of the incident.

“Following a complex investigation, it was found that the injuries had been caused by Tufan, who violently shook his son,” authorities said.

Leo remained in intensive care for several months but was eventually able to return home, where he was cared for by his mother and other family members.

Tufan had previously been sentenced to two years in prison for assault in June 2019. After Leo died in December 2022 at age four, a “further investigation was launched” that ultimately led to Tufan admitting to manslaughter, police stated.

“Life will never be the same without Leo,” his mother said in a victim impact statement. “Leo kept going. I will forever walk around with a piece of my heart missing, hoping that this piece will be replaced when we meet again in a world where Leo no longer has pain, where he is free to run up to me and hug me just like it always should have been. I will miss you forever my beautiful boy.”

She added, “My world completely shattered that day. Even to this day, everything still feels like a blur. I can’t process or comprehend the devastation and trauma that Mehmet caused.”