An evil ex-soldier who left a 10-week-old baby with life-changing injuries is being unmasked by the Daily Record for the first time after dodging a ‘fish porn’ rap. Declan Walton was due to stand trial after allegedly being caught with two extreme pornographic images while cops investigated the vicious attack on the child.
The 32-year-old was charged in connection with the unsavoury discovery, which was made at a property in Glenrothes, Fife, on June 6, 2020 - just one day after the tiny baby was rushed to hospital. Police allegedly found him in possession of two pictures “depicting in an explicit and realistic way, an adult male engaging in sexual activity with a fish and an animal”.
But when the case was called at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, depute fiscal Eve McKaig said the matter had been marked as ‘no further action’ by justice chiefs. Walton, who previously could not be pictured due to the outstanding legal matters, can now be identified and remains behind bars.
The monster was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of assaulting the boy to his severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life by shaking him or inflicting trauma to his head by means unknown.
The jail-term was cut by 12 months due to the guilty plea. The youngster, who has cerebral palsy and is fed through a tube, remained in hospital more than two years after the attack and is unlikely to ever live an independent life.
The High Court in Edinburgh was told how the child had been a “happy baby” before being assaulted by Walton, who raised the alarm by shouting: “He’s not responding. He’s not breathing”
The child’s mum discovered her son’s body was limp and a 999 call was made. The youngster was rushed to hospital and was not able to breathe on his own, requiring extensive resuscitation. Experts examined the child, who had to undergo emergency surgery to drain blood and ease pressure on his brain, and determined his injuries were "highly suggestive of abusive head trauma".
Prosecutor Leanne Cross told the earlier hearing: "All the medical evidence points to the child having suffered a traumatic event, most likely from shaking." Walton, of Glenrothes, denied ever shaking the child in a fit of anger when later quizzed by police. His lawyer said Walton had previously been in the army for eight years serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
Gareth Jones KC, defending, added, on leaving in 2018, he "struggled to adjust to civilian life". Regarding the baby attack, Mr Jones told the court: "This was a loss of control in a single moment of time which caused devastating consequences."
We previously told how Walton moaned about the ‘hardest months of his entire life’ while out on bail for the vicious attack. In a sick Facebook post, which has since been deleted, he wrote: “It’s been four months since seeing or hearing anything about (the baby).
"This has been the hardest four months of my entire life but it won’t be much longer.” The child’s mother, who also cannot be named for legal reasons, branded Walton “a monster” after learning about the extent of her child’s injuries.
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