A Brooklyn woman hired as a night nurse for a family in Mamaroneck, New York, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for hitting and shaking the family’s five-week-old premature infant.
Gwendolyn Blake, 40, also received three years of probation for the crime, with the stipulation that she is prohibited from caring for the elderly, children, or other vulnerable populations during that time period.
Mamaroneck Judge Ronald Meister also ordered a permanent order of protection keeping Blake away from the victim and his family.
The incidents occurred on August 30 and September 1, 2023. Blake was caring for the infant when surveillance video captured footage of her slapping him, grabbing his head, and shaking him as he was crying. She was arrested several days later on September 5, and pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child in May of this year.
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“This defendant violated her professional and moral responsibilities when she repeatedly struck a defenseless newborn in her care. We hope that today’s sentence ensures the defendant will not be able to harm any other children in the future.” said Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah following the sentencing.
The infant’s family also spoke after the proceedings.
“This is a preemie who is colicky because of his low birth weight and instead of being treated with love and compassion, he was abused for being in pain,” they said. “This has been a nightmare for our sons, our family, and our community. We will never be able to trust anyone with our children and are overly skeptical of anyone they interact with. Gwen Blake knew what she was doing behind closed doors, lied to our faces, and went about her business every single day seemingly without a care in the world. She is violent and poses a significant risk to innocent families.”
