The trial of Craig Rowland, a 29-year-old man from Millington Park in Portadown, is underway. He faces charges of murdering his infant son, Lewis Oliver Rowland, who died on October 20, 2018. Rowland denies the charges of murder and manslaughter.
Lewis was hospitalized at Craigavon Area Hospital in November 2015, suffering from serious head injuries. He passed away three years later due to complications following surgery.
Dr. Bill Newman, a consultant pediatric ophthalmologist, testified about Lewis’s injuries, noting that the retinal hemorrhaging was consistent with having been shaken. He explained that the bleeding at the back of Lewis’s eye was unlikely to result from direct trauma. According to Dr. Newman, this type of hemorrhage can only be detected by a specialist using an instrument to examine the eye.
He emphasized that short falls—defined as a baby dropping from a normal adult height—are very unlikely to cause such retinal bleeding. Dr. Newman acknowledged that while there are rare exceptions, in this case, the findings did not align with accidental causes.
In his testimony, he ruled out other potential causes for the hemorrhaging, including minor impacts, normal handling, seizures, and medical conditions such as meningitis or sepsis. He defined shaking as holding a child with hands or fingers under the armpits and thumbs on the chest, explaining that infants struggle to support their heads at that age. He noted that rapid backward and forward movements would lead to head movement, requiring significant force.
Dr. Newman emphasized the importance of public health advice: “You should never, ever shake a child.” He stated that even brief shaking could cause the retinal hemorrhages observed in Lewis’s case.
When questioned by the defense about the force required for such injuries, Dr. Newman acknowledged that it is challenging to measure. He noted that once the threshold for injury is reached, it is unclear whether more bleeding indicates greater force. He also mentioned that the gender of the perpetrator is not relevant in such incidents.
Dr. Newman clarified that a layperson would not be able to identify Lewis’s retinal hemorrhage without proper expertise and equipment. He added that a child with such injuries would not be behaving normally from a visual perspective.
The judge asked Dr. Newman if the force in Lewis’s case was at the higher end of the spectrum, to which he affirmed, “yes.”
Craig Rowland, currently out on bail, has previously pleaded guilty to wilfully neglecting his son. The child’s mother, Laura Graham, has also pleaded guilty to the same charge. The trial is ongoing.
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