Father cleared of his son’s manslaughter, 16 years on

A father who was found not guilty of the manslaughter of his newborn son, 16 years after shaking the baby, said the "devastating" prosecution "turned my world upside down".

A tearful Allan Young, 36, of Stevenston in Ayrshire, Scotland, questioned whether the public interest was best served in attempting to convict him of the manslaughter of Michael Winn.

Glaswegian Mr Young broke down in tears at the Old Bailey as the jury returned a verdict of not guilty following more than 24 hours of deliberation.

Mr Young had previously been jailed for 12 months after admitting causing grievous bodily harm to five-week-old Michael Winn in 1998.

The child was left “severely disabled” with catastrophic brain injuries, that the prosecution claimed had led to his death in 2011, the court heard.

When Michael died, Mr Young was further charged with manslaughter following a change in the law.

Before 1996, charges of murder or manslaughter could only be brought if death occurred within a year and a day from the date of the original assault.

In Mr Young’s case, charges were brought even though there had been a 12-year gap, making it the longest on record.

Speaking outside the court, through his solicitor Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman Rose, said: “There are no winners in this case, or in relation to what happened to Michael. I had moved on with my life, with my new partner and lovely little girl.

“When Michael tragically died, I was arrested out of the blue, and once again my world was turned upside down.

“I really question whether it was in the public interest to prosecute me after so long.”

The prosecution said Michael’s death was a direct result of the injuries he suffered years earlier which caused cerebral palsy and curvature of the spine.

Following the assault, Michael was assessed as having only a 65% chance of surviving to the age of 11, the court heard.