Father who permanently disabled his baby by shaking him with car-crash force after downing 11 pints of lager and taking cocaine has jail term increased to six years

Published: 10:53 EDT, 29 October 2026 | Updated: 11:47 EDT, 29 October 2026 A father who left his baby permanently disabled after shaking him in a cocaine-fuelled rage has had his jail term increased. Christopher Yates, 30, had consumed 11 pints of Foster's lager and snorted a line of cocaine when he shook his six-month-old son with the force of a 'high-velocity car accident'.His son was left with severe brain injury, blindness and a likely inability to learn to walk.The baby had been taken from his mother into foster care – but Yates gained custody three weeks before the incident despite his heavy drinking and 'red flags' raised by his family, Newcastle Crown Court previously heard.Yates, from Gateshead near Newcastle, admitted causing a child to suffer serious physical harm and was jailed for four years in July. However, the Solicitor General referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal. Increasing his jail term to six years, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said: 'The sentence imposed by the judge was not only lenient but unduly so.'Gemma White, for the Solicitor General, said in written submissions that Yates shook the baby five times, yelling 'shut the f*** up', at around 2am on October 5 last year.He did not contact the ambulance until 8.15am, claiming the child had fallen from his chair. Christopher Yates, 30, had consumed 11 pints of Foster's lager and snorted a line of cocaine when he shook his six-month-old son with the force of a 'high-velocity car accident' Yates, from Gateshead, admitted causing a child to suffer serious physical harm and was jailed for four years at Newcastle Crown Court in July, now increased to six yearsFamily members were concerned Yates was not being supported by professionals and became easily frustrated with the child, was not clothing him properly and said his flat was a 'mess', with dirty nappies and empty alcohol cans.When challenged about why he was drinking heavily when he worked so hard to get custody of the baby, Yates told a relative 'I can do whatever I want,' the court was told.Ms White told the court in London that the sentencing judge had not properly reflected the level of harm caused to the baby and had reduced the sentence too much to reflect Yates's ADHD, autism, depressive disorder and traumatic upbringing.She said: 'There was very significant use of force against a six-month-old baby which resulted in catastrophic injury.'Rachel Hedworth, for Yates, said the sentencing judge had rightly reduced the sentence to reflect his mental disorder.She said Yates had discovered he was a father through a paternity test but after the baby's birth he 'put himself in the ring' to be the sole carer of the baby.She said the baby was put in his sole care despite the fact he was 'self-medicating' with alcohol during the assessment process and authorities being aware he had been doing this 'for over half his life'.Ms Hedworth said that despite family highlighting these 'red flags', he received 'very little' assistance from professionals.She said: 'Had his behaviour and his care of that child been monitored at a much earlier stage, then perhaps with some more advice and guidance he may have been helped.'