A father has narrowly avoided being sent to prison after a court was told how he injured his six-year-old daughter when he became frustrated that she had wet herself.
The dad left his young daughter with “blue and purple bruises” after smacking her following a troubled trip to a Wacky Warehouse.
The 30-year-old has now admitted causing the injuries and was sentenced at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, reports Teesside Live.
Prosecutor Chris Tame told how the girl lived with her grandparents but visited her dad on weekends.
The court heard how the dad planned to take his daughter to the child play centre and there had been no previous issues with his care. However, during the visit, the father then made a series of phone calls to the girl’s mum expressing frustration that she had wet herself.
When the child was returned to her grandparents, they noticed she had purple and blue marks on her bum and also a mark on her neck. When asked about the mark on her neck, the girl answered: “That must have been from when my dad dragged me. He dragged me to the loo and smacked me five or six times.”
The grandparents reported the injuries and a medical exam was carried out which confirmed the injuries had likely been inflicted at the same time.
The dad, who cannot be named for legal reasons, initially made no comment in police interview but later pleaded guilty to causing assault/ill-treatment/neglect/abandonment of child/ causing unnecessary suffering or injury for the offence on May 28 last year.
Colin Sleeman, mitigating on behalf of the father, said the defendant was aware the girl had an incontinence problem and that she had wet herself twice at Wacky Warehouse. She then again wet herself after they returned home and the father then ‘dragged’ her to the toilet and lost his temper after becoming upset at her behaviour.
Mr Sleeman said: “He says he smacked her four times but this changed everything in just a few moments, it has changed his relationship with his daughter.”
The dad is now having supervised visits with the child as a result of the incident.
Prosecutor Chris Tame argued that the severity of the injuries suffered by the girl made the offence suitable for a prison sentence. However, magistrates sentenced the dad to a 24-month community order alongside a four-month curfew. He must also pay £180 in victim surcharge and costs.
