JUSTICE has caught up with a callous Huddersfield man who attacked a baby boy.

Paul Murray, who went on the run after he caused serious injuries to a young baby boy, has finally been jailed for two years.

And he was sent to prison by a judge who condemned the frightening level of violence he had caused to the baby.

Murray failed to turn up for a crown court hearing back in May 2004 and was only arrested by police in East Lothian, Scotland, last month, a judge heard yesterday.

In June 2002 the baby, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was taken by ambulance to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where it was discovered that the boy had suffered several fractured ribs and a torn frenulum, the skin between his upper lip and gum.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the injuries were described as non-accidental and the mouth injury was typical of a baby being force-fed a bottle.

Murray was arrested by police and initially claimed that the injuries could have been caused by another older child. But he later accepted causing some of the rib injuries and the torn frenulum. He pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

Barrister Abdul Iqbal, for the 38-year-old, told the court that his client, who has a history of mental health problems, was probably suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offences.

He said a psychiatric report was never completed in 2004 because his client went to Scotland and had lived there ever since.

The court heard that a police officer put a note through Murray’s letterbox telling him there was a warrant for his arrest and he voluntarily attended at Musselburgh police station.

He was brought back to West Yorkshire and was remanded in custody by a judge last month.

Jailing Murray, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said he caused the injuries to the baby through inexplicable violence.

“It is not the function of the court to explain or indeed to understand how an adult male can so injure a child,” the judge told Murray. “Excuses are put forward that you were feeling a bit upset or a bit angry at the time.

“Further that you may well have been suffering from the symptoms associated with either paranoid schizophrenia or some other illness, caused or seriously exacerbated by your addiction to heroin and binge drinking.

“The fact of the matter is that you caused that little baby no doubt untold suffering and very serious injury.”

The judge said Murray’s basis of plea indicated that the injuries were caused by reckless attempts to subdue the crying child by apparently placing a pillow on the infant’s chest and then putting his own body weight on the pillow.

“It is right that when the police finally woke up to the fact that they had a wanted criminal living on their doorstep you responded to the note put through your letterbox asking you to go to the police station,” the judge added.

“I cannot place you on probation or supervision. The public would be outraged and quite rightly so.

“Offences of this sort must always be punished.”