Baby Shaken to Death After Dad’s Furious Row
Haroldas Bugaila, 29, has been jailed for shaking his 11-week-old son, Martinas, to death following a row with his partner. The horrific attack took place on 27 March 2019, leaving the baby with a catastrophic brain injury.
Catastrophic Injuries Like a High-Speed Crash
At Lincoln Crown Court, jurors heard how Martinas suffered brain damage similar to injuries from a high-speed car crash. The tiny infant was rushed to hospital but tragically died on 2 April.
Bugaila was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison for murder. He was also convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to Martinas in the weeks leading up to the tragedy. On top of that, he was found guilty of serious assaults on Martinas’ twin brother.
Tense Home Before Tragedy
Prosecutors revealed Bugaila had warned the children’s mother he would “make the boys cry” if she spoke to him in a way he didn’t like. On the day of the attack, after a heated argument with partner Aliona, Bugaila was left alone with the twins. Minutes later, he shouted, “Come here, there’s something wrong.”
“Aliona ran upstairs and looked in the cot. Martinas was on his back. He looked completely white. His eyes were closed and he wasn’t breathing,” said prosecutor Jonas Hankin QC. “He was turning blue as his mother tried to revive him. Martinas would have collapsed immediately or within seconds of being assaulted, such was the severity of his injury.”
Police Praise Team, Hope Surviving Twin Recovers
Detective Superintendent Karl Whiffen of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit described the pressure investigators faced dealing with such a tragic child death case.
“The emotive nature of child death cases means the investigation team worked under tremendous pressure. Our sincerest hope is that the surviving twin will continue to recover,” he said.
