Exclusive:Parents of a newborn baby jailed for abusing their child which left ‘several’ fractured ribs
“This would have been extremely painful for the infant,” the judge said.
The parents of a newborn baby have been jailed for abusing their child and leaving them with ‘several’ fractured ribs.
The man and woman were each jailed for five years following a hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, October 16, having both been found guilty of child abandonment.
The court heard how the infant was taken to a GP surgery for a check-up, and subsequently taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, where a scan revealed they had seven fractured ribs.
Medical experts during the trial concluded that these fractures could only have been caused by the adults, who cannot be named as it would identify the child, squeezing the baby with “significant force”.
William Goss, prosecuting, said: “A child sustained what was identified as seven fractures to their ribs, present on both sides of their ribcage. Bruises overlaid the fractures, and the consensus medical opinion was that they were subjected to excessive compressive force, which resulted in these injuries.
“That established that the child was squeezed on what must have been more than one occasion. The fractures ranged from displacements to complete separation of the bones.
“Separate to this, there were bruises to the infant’s arms and one of their legs, all of which was considered highly suspicious for abusive handling.”
The two defendants sat on opposite ends of the dock, and barely even glanced at one another throughout the hearing.
Richard Onslow and Robert Harding, defending, told the court that the child had been a “difficult baby”, and argued that there had not been any lasting damage to the infant.
But Judge David Melville KC reached a different conclusion, and decided that both defendants deserved immediate prison sentences.
He said: “This would have been extremely painful for the infant. At trial, you both denied any responsibility, but I have no doubts in concluding that the baby suffered significant physical and psychological harm.
“This will have caused them lasting harm. It was a prolonged instance of cruelty.
“I will not decide who did what to the child; there was no remorse, no compassion, and no co-operation with the investigation.”