At a Glance
- Rhydian Jamieson, 28, hurled his infant daughter into a television, shattering her skull and leaving her brain-damaged for life
- He hid from court on sentencing day, earning Judge Paul Thomas KC’s label of “coward”
- The child’s mother branded him a “spiteful, disgusting person” in an emotional courtroom statement
- Why it matters: The 35-year term underscores the UK judiciary’s zero-tolerance stance against extreme violence toward the most vulnerable victims
A Swansea Crown Court judge has ordered Rhydian Lynne Rhys Jamieson to spend 35 years behind bars for a January assault that transformed his baby daughter’s life. The 28-year-old father, who refused to face justice in person, was condemned for launching the child across a room with such force that the television bore the impact.
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
Prosecutors told the court that Jamieson “snapped” while alone with the infant. In seconds he seized the child and flung her toward the set, inflicting:
- A fractured skull
- Bleeding on the brain
- Extensive cuts and bruising
- Irreversible neurological damage
Within minutes the girl’s mother received a flurry of texts. One read, “I’m sorry for what I’ve done.” Another admitted, “I’m scared. I think I’ve killed someone.” A third predicted, “I’m going to be on the news.”
Emergency crews stabilized the baby, but doctors confirmed she will require lifelong medical care.
Courtroom Confrontation
On Monday, January 12, the same date the attack had occurred a year earlier, Judge Paul Thomas KC delivered the sentence. Jamieson, who had pleaded guilty in April, stayed in his cell.
“You threw the baby with great force at the television,” the judge said, addressing an empty dock. “It was a fit of uncontrolled temper. You did not even bother to check whether the baby was alive. It was an act of the most horrendous callousness and self-interest. The child has irreversible brain damage. You have no remorse, no regret, for what you did.”
The mother, whose identity remains protected to safeguard the child, faced the courtroom directly:
“You’re nothing but a spiteful, disgusting person. The impact on my child will last for the rest of my life. I’ll never understand what you were thinking. It doesn’t matter how long you’ll get because it will never be enough.”
Sentencing Details
Under UK law Jamieson must serve at least two-thirds of the 35-year term-roughly 23 years-before parole eligibility. The punishment ranks among the longest non-homicide sentences handed down in Welsh courts for child cruelty.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Williams, speaking outside after the hearing, said:
“This was an appalling act of violence towards a defenseless baby-his own daughter-who had been left in Jamieson’s care. We still do not know what made him act in this way-what made him ‘snap’, to use his own word-but even if he had revealed the catalyst for this vile behavior, it would in no way make it excusable.”
Public Reaction and Investigation
Coverage by BBC, the Liverpool Echo, and Wales Online drew national outrage. Social media users echoed the mother’s disgust, while child-protection charities cited the case in renewed calls for tougher vetting of parents in high-risk households.
Police confirmed no previous safeguarding alerts involved the family, leaving investigators puzzled over the trigger. Forensic teams reconstructed the television’s position and the infant’s trajectory, data later used to contradict Jamieson’s initial claim that the child had fallen accidentally.
Key Takeaways
- A single moment of rage condemned a child to permanent disability and a father to decades in prison
- The sentence signals courts’ willingness to impose near-maximum terms when the victim is an infant
- The mother’s courtroom words offered a rare, raw insight into the lifelong toll such violence exacts on families
Jamieson’s refusal to appear reinforced the judge’s assessment of cowardice and ensured his absence became a final insult to the child he was supposed to protect.
