Child Abuse Antidepressants 06/07/2007 Pennsylvania Man Severely Abuses his Newborn Baby: Given 30 Years in Prison
 
 Summary:<br><br><div>Paragraph 6 reads:&nbsp; &quot;<strong>Mr. Austill pleaded guilty but mentally ill in May to aggravated assault, child endangerment and other offenses.<u> He said he was taking antidepressants and anti-hallucinogens at the time.&quot; <br /><br /></u></strong><a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07187/799743-85.stm">http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07187/799743-85.stm<br /><br /><br /><br /></a><h2><strong>Man gets 7-30 years for abusing baby</strong></h2>Friday, July 06, 2007<br /><br />A man who claimed he was mentally ill when he abused his newborn -- breaking her leg, smashing her head into a sink and shocking her with a cattle prod -- will spend up to 30 years in prison. <br /><br />Brandon Alan Austill, 21, of Somerset, was sentenced Tuesday to 7 to 30 years in prison for abuse that started when his daughter was just 4 days old. <br /><br />``It is clear from the facts in this case that you systematically tortured this child over six weeks,&#39;&#39; Somerset County Judge John M. Cascio said. <br /><br />According to authorities, Mr. Austill admitted he smashed the infant&#39;s head into a sink and table, twice used an electric prod on her when she wouldn&#39;t stop crying and bent her leg over his shoulder until he heard it snap. The abuse took place last fall. <br /><br />``I&#39;ll never be able to take that back. I&#39;ll always love my daughter,&#39;&#39; Mr. Austill said. ``There&#39;s no way I can make an excuse for what happened.&#39;&#39; <br /><br />Mr. Austill pleaded guilty but mentally ill in May to aggravated assault, child endangerment and other offenses. He said he was taking antidepressants and anti-hallucinogens at the time. <br /><br />Mr. Austill suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from abuse he suffered as a child, along with bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, psychologist Frank Schmidt testified. He will receive psychiatric care in prison. <br /><br />``Certainly, this is your chance and this is probably your last chance,&#39;&#39; Judge Cascio said. <br /><br />The child&#39;s mother has not been charged. It was not immediately known if the girl remains in foster care or has been returned to her mother. <br /><br /></div> 
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