Justice For Families

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 466920.ece

From The TimesAugust 6, 2008

Celebrity nanny Jasmin Schmidt caused brain damage when she shook baby Lucy Bannerman
A nanny who left a 2½-month-old baby with brain damage and a broken arm was told yesterday that she faced jail.

Jasmin Schmidt, 32, who had previously worked for an A-list celebrity, shook the child violently after he appeared “angry” during a restless night, the Old Bailey was told.

The qualified paediatric nurse from Bonn, Germany, had been hired to look after the child while his parents attended a London Fashion Week function in September 2002. She lost her temper with the baby, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while he was in her care.

Next morning the mother noticed that her child was pale and had bruises around his eyes, was making a whimpering sound and was cold to the touch. The parents took the boy to hospital.

The force of the shaking had caused tearing and bleeding around the brain. A scan also revealed a fractured right elbow. The baby has subsequently grown into a healthy boy but a jury unanimously convicted Schmidt on two counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

At another trial this year Schmidt was cleared of causing actual bodily harm to a two-month-old baby girl in 2006 and a three-month-old boy in 2003.

Schmidt, who had worked for a number of wealthy families in London, including a pop star, will be sentenced on September 8.